THE DRAFT local plan for Wokingham borough will finally be published in November, it was revealed at the executive meeting.
This sets out the council’s housing policy up to 2040, showing where and how growth will occur and how the sites will be managed.
The plan has been delayed for a number of reasons: the Conservatives’ initial draft was nixed by the Ministry of Defence who vetoed Grazeley as an option for a garden town.
The party was working on a revised draft when it lost control of the council. Since then, the Lib Dem administration has been waiting for firm proposals from the government over future housing numbers.
This included waiting for clarity on whether overbuilding from previous years could be counted in forward allocations.
At the meeting held at Shute End in Wokingham on Thursday, July 27, Cllr Lindsay Ferris, the executive member responsible for the Local Plan, said: “It’s an immensely complex set of calculations… It’s difficult work.”
Under the timescale approved, the plan will be submitted between March and June next year, with examination hearings in August and in January 2025. The inspector’s post hearing letter is anticipated to return in April 2025.
A modification consultation will be held in July 2025, with an inspector’s report due in November of that year, and then adopted by the start of 2026.
