Reading Borough Council has its say on 265-home Tilehurst project

U+I Pincents Lane Ltd has applied for planning permission to build the houses and a community healthcare hub on land just off Pincents Lane, but more than 2,100 objections have been lodged since 2019.

There are also hundreds of supporters who say they are being priced out of Tilehurst and welcome this project because it will provide 106 affordable homes.

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West Berkshire Council is due to make a decision on the controversial planning application in the coming weeks.

Reading Borough Council says it will not object, because “there are not expected to be any significant impacts” on roads or other infrastructure in Reading.

According to a council report, there “would not be detrimental to the traffic flow within Reading” and there are “no direct impacts in terms of views on Reading”.

The report also states that West Berkshire Council will receive a Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) payment from the developer, if the plans are approved, but Reading Borough Council will not.

It says some people living on the new estate will use infrastructure in Reading and the councils need to work together to “identify infrastructure pressures in the local area and direct new provision accordingly”.

The developer has 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.

Pincents Hill in Tilehurst

The Save Pincents Hill Group, who have been campaigning against the 265-home development, say they are “not confident” that it can be stopped.

They are concerned about losing valuable green space and say the development will put a huge strain on local schools, GP surgeries, roads and other infrastructure.

However, the group said “the only thing that may save us” is a report from the council’s Highways Development Control Team Leader.

In the report, he raised concerns about queues and journey times on Pincents Lane being “even longer” near IKEA and Sainsbury’s if 265 homes are built in Tilehurst.

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Speaking earlier this month, U+I director Jonny Anstead said: “What we’re proposing will add enormously to the level of public green, open space in the local area, by opening up 22 acres of the site as a new public park that will be owned and managed locally and protected from any future development.

“This is an important, and potentially one-off opportunity to secure a key new green space for local residents to use legally, and on a permanent basis.

“Our plans are sustainable with at least a 35 per cent saving on operational carbon emissions compared to conventional development.

“In addition, our site is well-placed for sustainable travel to local jobs in Reading, Tilehurst and elsewhere in West Berkshire.”

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