MORE than 150 people attended the first Love Tilehurst meeting to object to potential new housing sites.

The Love Tilehurst group had only been formally running for two weeks when it called for concerned residents to attend an information evening at the Cornwell Centre in Home Croft on Wednesday, August 20 — and organisers were pleasantly surprised with the turnout.

Picking up the baton from a Tilehurst Parish Council meeting the previous week in which local MP Alok Sharma and West Berkshire Councillor Emma Webster voiced their objections to developments in the area, the resident-run community group is seeking to galvanise support against four sites on the suburb’s border.

Keith Robinson, 46, one of the group’s founders, said: “Our main focus right now is getting people to put their objections in.

“We have got people out on the streets knocking on doors asking people to get their objections in and giving our example letters for them to use.”

The sites in question could see an extra 130 houses built on the western edges of Tilehurst including in Sulham Hill and Stonehams Farm.Campaigners believe they have a strong case against their inclusion in the latest extension of West Berkshire Council’s housing plan, committing to add 10,500 new homes to the district by 2026.

Members of the group claim that both they and the town of Reading will suffer if the local population is increased as they believe most residents in the area, which falls under the West Berkshire district, end up using the town centre services which Reading Borough Council provides.

Mr Robinson said: “It’s like a slap in the face, virtually everyone here opposes this. It’s as if they are free riding Reading.”

At least £600 was raised at the meeting for the cause.

Residents have until September 12 to voice any concerns on any of the sites across West Berkshire and can lodge their views at http://consult.westberks.gov.uk/portal