Uproar as Sibly Hall plans are approved
Published 18 Feb 2012 08:00
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CONTROVERSIAL plans to approve nearly 90 new homes in Earley were met with shouts, jeers and cries of outrage.
Wokingham Borough Council's planning committee was told its decision to approve plans submitted by Reading University to demolish former halls of residence Sibly Hall and build 89 new homes was "shoddy democracy".
Cries of "shame on you" and "we will remember" rang out around the council chamber when furious residents stormed out of the meeting on Wednesday last week [8].
Earley Town Councillor Brian Wedge told the planning committee: "This feels a lot like groundhog day.
"I know the number of houses has been reduced, but this is still overdevelopment.
"There is already little green space in the area and this is critical for the people of Earley."
The original application for 99 homes was rejected by Wokingham's planning committee in November, but an appeal had already been launched because it failed to go before the committee within the statutory four months.
But Jonathan Hill, representing the university, said: "The university has sought to negotiate an application that would satisfy the council and the dialogue process has been open and productive.
"The scale of public open space is still five times of that required for an application of this scale."
Councillors raised concerns about traffic and building on a greenfield site, but committee chairman Simon Weeks said: "This application is considered to be better than the previous one and if we refuse this decision, it is completely out of our control and the planning inspector will decide how to take it forward."
The application was granted to gasps of shock from the audience, which means the appeal will not go ahead.
Speaking after the meeting, Sibly Action Group campaigner Rita Steele said: "Without exception residents were appalled and disgusted.
"The council was unable to determine the original application within the statutory time, yet managed to rush this second one through at such a speed that the officers' recommendation for approval was made before the consultation period had even ended, thus effectively silencing all residents' views."
* A separate appeal launched last year when the planning committee refused an application to relocate a telephone mast, currently situated on the roof of Sibly Hall, to land in Redhatch Copse is still set to go ahead on March 6.
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