Sites for new homes submitted to Planning Inspector

The Local Plan Inspector has requested West Berkshire Council to suggest a number of additional housing sites for inclusion in the Local Plan 2023 to 2041. These have now been submitted to the Planning Inspector.

The Local Plan is a set of overarching planning documents which sets out, amongst other things, where and when houses will be built in the coming years. The Local Plan Review covers the period to 2041 and is currently being examined by a Planning Inspector. 

On 19th November 2023, in response to the Council proposal to withdraw the local plan, the housing minister directed the Council to progress the Plan through the examination process.  Following a number of public hearings, the Planning Inspector has found there is a shortfall of around 850 homes against a requirement for a minimum of 9,270 new homes to be built between 2023 and 2041. Three weeks ago, the Inspector set out the next steps for the Council to take before he can consider whether the plan is sound. These included asking the Council to suggest new sites for development to meet the shortfall - and the Council has now responded to suggest the sites set out below.

Thatcham

Approximately 225 homes are proposed for land near to Henwick Park, on Bowling Green Road in Thatcham.

This includes space allocated within the site for a landscape buffer.

You can also view the location on Google Maps.

Thatcham

Approximately 45 homes are planned for land east of the Regency Park Hotel on Bowling Green Road in Thatcham.

You can also view the location on Google Maps.

Calcot

Approximately 138 homes are planned on land at Pincents Lane in Calcot.

This includes space allocated within the site for a community parkland and public open space.

You can also view the location on Google Maps.

Pangbourne

Approximately 25 homes are planned for land north of Pangbourne Hill in Pangbourne.

This includes space allocated within the site for a landscape buffer.

You can also view the location on Google Maps. 

These sites have been submitted through the local plan process as available for delivery of the new homes. To meet the Inspector's requests, West Berkshire Council has also identified an area north of Newbury which could be explored for future growth as it has the potential to deliver between 650 and 800 homes, later in the plan period (from 2034 onwards).

These sites will deliver the additional homes the Planning Inspector has asked to be included in the Local Plan Review to be able to conclude that the plan is sound

The Planning Inspector has also found that the site proposed at Northeast Thatcham has capacity beyond the 1,500 homes proposed and has found that to make effective use of the site this should be expanded up to 2,500 homes. Not all of these additional 1,000 homes would be built within this plan period, with the majority likely to be delivered after 2041. The final capacity of the site will be determined through the creation of a masterplan which will be developed collaboratively by the Council and developer and with comprehensive engagement with the local community. 

Following the submission of the information about the new sites, the Planning Inspector will consider these and issue a report with his preliminary findings. The Council will consider his report and full Council will need to agree any modifications ahead of further public consultation.

You can subscribe to our Local Plan Review newsletter to receive future updates direct to your inbox.

Speaking about these latest developments the West Berkshire Council Portfolio Holder for Planning and Housing Councillor Denise Gaines, said:

"The Council has been directed by Central Government to progress the local plan through the Examination by the Inspector. At his request, we suggested new sites with great reluctance but we have been left with no choice because the Government would very probably take over the Plan process if we failed to engage at this time. We believe that these decisions should be taken by your local Council rather than at Westminster, but it is a very bitter pill to swallow. Engaging with the Planning Inspector and suggesting these sites enables us to continue to speak on behalf of local residents and doing what needs to be done in their interests. 

"We inherited what we consider to be a poor Plan by the outgoing Administration and wanted to start the Plan again, but the Government intervened and directed us not to dispense with that Plan. Now we have the new Government stating that we should be building double the number of new homes per year. If we don't progress this Plan that the Inspector is deliberating upon, the Council would be forced to find sites for an even greater number of houses.  It really is a poor situation for our District and our residents." 

"We will consider our next steps once we have the Planning Inspector's report in the preliminary findings."

Letter to Planning Inspector

Alongside the information requested by the Planning Inspector, the Leader of West Berkshire Council, Councillor Jeff Brooks - sent the following letter to him.

Dear Mr Fieldhouse,

West Berkshire Local Plan Review - Inspectors Post Hearings Letter IN30

I write regarding the Council's response to the interim findings and recent action points set out in your Post Hearings Letter IN30, published 31st July 2024.

Thank you for your dutiful consideration of the Local Plan Review and expert chairmanship of the examination hearings to date, which have been a challenging process for all involved particularly the Council, given the exceptional circumstances surrounding the development of this Plan.

As we expressed to the previous Housing, Planning and Building Safety Minister, Lee Rowley earlier this year in our letter dated 12 January 2024, the Council has been put in the most difficult position of progressing with a plan which the Liberal Democrat Administration has declared to be significantly flawed and not representative of community aspirations.

In this context, we are once again extremely disappointed at being instructed to follow a course of action that we know will result in even more dissatisfaction within our communities.

Recent Government announcements have made it very clear that the Council has no reasonable alternative option other than to comply with your requirements or risk direct intervention, further eroding any influence over the Plan and breaking this Liberal Democrat Administration's commitment to listen to its residents and secure the very best for the communities it serves.

We believe firmly that decisions should be taken by Local Councils but recognise that direct Government intervention could result should we not comply with the Inspector's instructions. This would be a further blow to local democracy which we are unwilling to accept.

The attached main modifications are, therefore, suggested to you for consideration and inclusion in your final report, in the knowledge that they will place a heavy burden on our communities, but will enable some level of local influence to continue.

We trust that throughout your consideration, you will remain committed, as we do, to ensuring that this Local Plan also provides for the necessary local amenities and infrastructure to support our communities, and the protection necessary for our valued landscapes and places.

Yours sincerely

Jeff Brooks
Council Leader

West Berkshire Council's submission to the Planning Inspector will be published shortly and is available to view on the West Berkshire Local Plan Review website.