The Reading Borough Local Plan May 2017 is out now and is available on RBC website and in the Library. When finalised it will be the key document that will decide what is built where in Reading Borough until 2036, including the 658 new homes to be provided every year (up on the 600 per year that have been provided under the last 20 year plan)
It is important and may change the face of Tilehurst. The next version of the New Local Plan will be ready by the Autumn for further comments.
In particular, our interest in the plan is how Tilehurst will evolve over this period.
The current version of the plan specifically mentions the following locations for new dwellings.
It has been proposed that the school buildings and Downing Road playing fields are put forward for housing sites.
See page 172 of the new plan for details of this proposed scheme.
The proposal assumes a new school will be built at the Laurels site.
However, the new proposal also says that they will use the land currently used by the library, the clinic, the police hut and Blagrave Nursery.
The new plan does not say that we will have a new library or clinic to replace the existing ones. Will that leave Tilehurst without a library or a clinic? And anyway, if all these houses are going to be built, where are the children going to go to school?
One of Reading's Chief Planners has said that the Autumn version of the Draft Local Plan will contain information about the provision of schools, doctors, pharmacies, etc suitable for the needs of this big rise in Tilehurst's population.
The plan has not determined how the site will be developed.
These areas were allotment land until the 1990s and have been left fallow by the landord (Tilehurst Poors Land Charity) since then. There is a builder's yard still on Kentwood Hill providing workspace for 10 businesses, ie providing local employment opportunities.
This site is due for dwellings and a new community centre.
Pages 177 and 178 in the Reading Borough Local Plan May 2017 give details of the conditions that should be met if deveopment is allowed on these sites.
This version of the Local Plan has many pages (pages 20 to 110) of important policies. These policies cover topics including environment, employment, housing, etc.
Write or email your comments as indicated on page 9 of the Reading Borough Local Plan May 2017.
Email
planning policy@reading.gov.uk
Write
Planning Policy
Reading Borough Council
Civic Offices
Bridge Street
RG1 2LU
Or you can use the online form that we have provided here to send in your comments. When you fill in the form and submit it, your comments will be automatically be sent to Reading Planning Team. You can send in as many comments as you like.
Your comments should be in by mid June 2017.
Please go and check out the Reading Borough Local Plan May 2017.