FUTURE housing proposals for Wokingham borough are “flawed” -- that’s the verdict of one councillor after the council missed out on more than £250 million of funding to support the building of 15,000 homes in Grazeley.
Wokingham Borough Council (WBC) planning bosses had hoped the cash would be granted by the government to help build infrastructure at the garden town.
READ MORE: All the latest coronavirus updates
But now top officials have decided most of this funding will go towards projects where demand for homes is lower instead of allocating it to the Grazeley proposal, which is part of the council’s draft local plan.
WBC planning chief Wayne Smith said: “The government’s short-term priorities have changed and they have moved investment to the north and some other areas where housing development has stalled.
“There are other funding options are available to make sure that, if Grazeley does go ahead following the local plan update, it does so with timely, rich infrastructure investment, sustainable principles and strong community leadership.”
READ MORE: 10-yea-old girl in hospital with life-threatening injuries
The authority is “exploring” other potential Grazeley funding options, including cash which could be made available from the new single housing infrastructure fund or from a development corporation.
Directing the £252 million to other projects will come as a setback to the controversial plans, which have been the focus of opposition from more than a thousand concerned residents living in nearby villages.
Despite this, council leader John Halsall said the project “remains robust” and “the best way to provide homes local people need in a way that safeguards our environmental and economic future.”
Shinfield South councillor Jim Frewin reacted to the news by slamming WBC’s future housing policies.
He told the News: “I think the local plan was flawed anyway because it relied on Grazeley.
READ MORE: Here's what Reading train station looks like right now
“They said if we did Grazeley then other developments would not be built -- but I don’t think the planning process would have allowed that anyway. We would have got both.
“There is a number of things with Grazeley that are not closed. Funding was one.
“I don’t think the local plan has been thought through in detail.
“I would hope that this would cause them to re-think [the local plan] but I’m not sure they will.
“It is too little, too late. We have already got the detriment of development without infrastructure.
“The chances of getting any money for infrastructure is reduced significantly.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here