Published: Thursday, 10th April, 2008 08:00
Petition to save wildlife haven goes to Parliament
By Alex Gore
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Minster ward candidate Debbie Watson, Reading West MP Martin Salter and Southcote councillor Deborah Edwards.
A PETITION opposing a plan to build 7,500 new homes across a picturesque wildlife haven has been presented to parliament.
Reading West MP Martin Salter handed in the 1,500-name petition, calling for the proposed Kennet Valley Park development be excluded from the draft South East Plan, in the House of Commons last week.
If the Prudential development is included in the plan then 7,500 new homes would be built on the area of land between Southcote and the M4.
Mr Salter said: “I am delighted but not at all surprised by the support that our campaign has attracted.
“The next stage will be when the Government announces its formal response to the recommendations and I am hoping that they will delete the whole of the Kennet Water Meadows from any list of potential development areas.
“This would force the Prudential back to the drawing board.”
Southcote councillor Deborah Edwards, who helped gather the signatures, said: “The strength of local feeling is shown in the number of signatures that we were able to gather in just a few short weeks.
"Local people in Southcote and the surrounding areas have seen for themselves just how effective the Kennet Meadows area is in storing floodwater which would otherwise end up in their homes further downstream if the developers get their way.”
Earlier this year planning inspectors recommended Kennet Meadows’ inclusion in the draft South East Plan, a document that sets out Government intentions over planning in the region until 2026.
Campaigners are adamant this flies in the face of Environment Agency warnings that the area is a vital floodplain and building would bring disastrous flooding consequences for Reading town centre.
In January Mr Salter wrote a joint letter with district councillor Royce Longton and borough councillor Pete Ruhemann to planning minister Yvette Cooper, challenging the recommendation.
Kevin Ashman, for Prudential development arm PRUPIM, said: “We are committed to our proposal for Kennet Valley Park, which provides a model for delivering new homes whilst improving flood protection, not only for the new development but for the surrounding area.
“A flood management scheme will from an integral part of the development whilst simultaneously increasing the amount of flood storage, thereby reducing the flood risk downstream.
“As a result of the scheme 500 existing properties will benefit from a reduced risk of flooding.
“It is our intention to create much-needed homes with supporting infrastructure and community facilities for local people in an attractive and sustainable environment.”
As part of the Prudential’s flood management scheme it has pledged to maintain Theale Lakes, which it claims provides the only opportunity to give flood protection to the centre of Reading.
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