TWO councils have set up a self-defence pact to protect the green lung between Woodley and Earley after a controversial housing development was given the go-ahead.

Members of both councils have mounted a united front to prevent further encroachment onto the precious green space between the two towns after plans to build 300 houses on the site of Reading University's former Bulmershe Campus were given the go-ahead by the Government last week.

The land was designated a Site of Urban Landscape Value (SULV) by Wokingham Borough Council last May, which meant it should be protected from developers, but 10% of the site will now be handed over to builders. On Tuesday night Woodley town councillors put forward Liberal Democrat Phil Challis and Conservative Bill Soane to sit on a joint working party with Earley Town Council which appointed its members on Wednesday.

Cllr Challis said: "Both councils were extremely disappointed that Wokingham Borough allowed Reading University to build on the SULV before the ink was even dry on the policy.

"What's the point in having a policy if you just break it straight away without any resistance? We want to combine the talents and knowledge of the town councils to work out ways we can protect the rest of it for the future.

"We can explore legislation and try to give Wokingham some backbone to actually defend the policy they created. We have the backing of two councils with cross party support and we'll do whatever we can to protect this important bit of land."

Woodley council leader Beth Rowland added: "Both Earley and Woodley Town Councils objected strongly to the development and if planning decisions were truly taken at a local level then this application would have been refused."

The development, which was approved by Wokingham borough councillors just weeks after they set up the SULV, had been referred to Local Communities Minister Eric Pickles by Sports England because some of it encroaches on playing fields but he decided not to intervene.

Cllr Soane said: "The main aim of everybody is to ensure that there's a break between the two developments so that this green space remains for future generations.

"The first thing we need to do is work out a strategy of how we want to go forward to approach Wokingham to make sure our feelings are taken into account. There's strength in numbers and we want a voice on such developments in the future."