AROUND 575 homes should be built in West Berkshire each year until 2037 and most of them should be located around Thatcham or Newbury.

That’s according to West Berkshire Council’s draft Local Plan, which aims to ensure that 9,775 homes can be built over the 17 years.

The government has proposed a radical planning shake up that could result in a larger housebuilding target, but Bryan Lyttle, the council’s planning policy manager, said: “We are a plan-led authority and we can’t wait for dithering in Whitehall”.

The document has earmarked north east Thatcham for around 2,500 homes and three new schools. It also states that 1,500 homes and a new primary school could be constructed just south of Newbury, in Sandleford Park.

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The draft plan has earmarked several other sites for major housing developments, including the Kennet Centre in Newbury (250 homes) and land just off Greenham Road (up to 255 homes).

However, the document also states that several projects are not due to be completed by 2037, so “sites for a further 1,661 dwellings need to be found” if the council is going to hit its 9,775 home target.

Almost half (44 per cent) of the people in West Berkshire already live in the Thatcham or Newbury urban areas, but the council said a number of constraints prevent developers from building on other parts of the district, which is over 700 square kilometres.

Around 74 per cent of land in West Berkshire is protected, because it is part of The North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and many other areas are either at risk of flooding or don’t have the infrastructure to support major developments.

“There isn’t an awful lot of West Berkshire that isn’t constrained and these are the best locations for that development to take place,” said Mr Lyttle.

“It also means we are protecting the rest of the community from developers that would build smaller schemes here and there without contributing to the much-needed infrastructure.”

He added: “By concentrating much of our development there (in Thatcham and Newbury) we are also future proofing our community for life without the car.”

Providing thousands of new affordable homes and cutting West Berkshire’s carbon emissions by working with developers to provide energy-efficient homes are priorities in the draft plan.

It states that if more than nine homes are built during one development at least 30 per cent should be affordable and on developments of between five and nine homes at least 20 per cent should be affordable.

People can have their say on the draft Local Plan during an eight-week public consultation, before the council submits it to the government for approval.

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Councillor Hilary Cole, executive member for housing, said: “It’s important that people get involved and have their say so that plans are truly representative of our district’s requirements.

“The best way to provide feedback is via our Local Plan consultation portal, where any comments made by registrants will be stored for their personal use.”

The council hopes the plan, that would underpin its planning policy, can be adopted by September 2022.

As part of a proposed shake-up of the planning system, the government is looking to introduce a new formula that determines how many homes should be built in each area of the country.

If that formula is applied, West Berkshire would be required to build around 700 homes a year, but the council insists it will not wait around because ministers say that formula will not come into effect for some time and it could be altered.