SECRET plans to build 15,000 homes four miles south of Reading have been unveiled in documents shown to the Reading Chronicle.

The proposals, dubbed the Grazeley Garden Settlement and submitted in July, would see a massive development stretch from the borders of Spencers Wood to Mortimer.

The confidential documents request £250m in capital forward funding and £5m in capacity funding from the Department for Communities and Local Government and Homes and Community Agency.

If acted upon, the build would transform the green land surrounding the small village of Grazeley into one of the largest housing developments in the country.

Behind the plans are West Berkshire, Reading and Wokingham councils along with Thames Valley Berkshire LEP, Wilson Enterprises Ltd, Hallam Land Management and Englefield Estate – controlled by Newbury MP Richard Benyon.

Clive Jones, Wokingham Liberal Democrat Councillor, said: “All the green space between Reading, Burghfield and Mortimer will disappear under these plans.

“I am amazed that they’ve tried to do this secretly and behind the backs of local people, the very people on whom the scheme will have a massive direct impact.”

A statement released by Wokingham Borough Council confirmed that the bid had been made.

It read: “A technical assessment for the Western Berkshire area (comprising Bracknell, Reading, West Berkshire and Wokingham) has identified there is a need to accommodate some 65,665 new homes  in the period up to 2036, so the four authorities are working together to explore joined-up, strategically sound options to achieve this.

“It is sensible for us to work together at an early stage on some of the potential large-scale sites and to explore the possibility of government funding available for these should we decide to take them further.  Due to tight bid timescales, and not wishing to miss out on potential opportunities, we have therefore submitted an initial expression of interest with regard to a potential Garden Village.

“This does not represent any commitment on behalf of any authority to support individual housing sites, but is rather a practical measure to make sure we can take advantage of government funding should it be necessary.

“All decisions on where and how future development occurs will be taken through individual authority’s statutory strategic planning processes.”