An eagerly awaited decision on plans for 265 new homes in Tilehurst will not be made for at least another month.

West Berkshire Council said it was aiming to make a decision on the planning application “at the end of March or beginning of April” but developer U+I Pincents Lane Ltd wants more time.

Plans to build the homes and a GP surgery on a patch of green space that is just off Pincents Lane have proved to be extremely controversial, as more than 2,100 objections have been lodged since 2019.

But more than 230 people have written letters of support and many of them claim this project will provide affordable homes that are desperately needed in the area.

READ MORE: Families priced out of Tilehurst back 265-home project

A council spokeswoman said: “The applicant has requested additional time, until the end of April, to consider the responses to the recent consultation on the proposed amendments.

“Once the application has been scheduled for an Eastern Area Planning Committee date all those who have commented on the application will be notified in advance of the meeting.”

That suggests that a decision could be made when the committee meets on April 21.

A map of the site, just off Pincents Lane in Tilehurst, where developers want to build 265 homes

A map of the site, just off Pincents Lane in Tilehurst, where developers want to build 265 homes

A consultation, which ended on February 16, was run after the developer made several amendments to the planning application.

According to the latest plans, the developer wants to build 265 homes and 106 of them will be affordable, as they will be shared-ownership or offered “below-market rent”.

The company has also promised to provide £1 million for infrastructure, create a 22 acre public park and plant enough trees to form a 20-metre wide ‘woodland buffer’ between Tilehurst and the new housing estate.

It says 30 of the new homes will be designed for older people and a new “network of footpaths and cycleways” will be created.

According to the plans, there will be one access road that links Pincents Lane and the south of the site.

In 2009, plans to build 750 homes, a hotel and shops on the site in Tilehurst were rejected by the council.

The company’s website states: “We’ve listened to the local community and these are the changes we’ve made since the unsuccessful application in 2009.

READ MORE: Developer says amount of support for 265 Tilehurst homes is 'highly unusual'

“The previous application was far larger with plans for 750 new homes along with a hotel, retail and community facilities.

“With your helpful feedback we’ve focussed our new proposals on significantly increasing the amount of available green space and reducing the amount of housing.

“We’ve revised the vehicle access so it is only from Pincents Lane at the south-west end of the site. In case of an emergency, there will be a locked emergency-only gate for emergency vehicles.”