Council refuses more than 100 new homes

Wokingham Borough Council has refused plans to build 111 homes in Arborfield

Plans to build 111 homes that residents worried would turn their village into a "small town" have been refused by a council.

Developers Dandara Southern Ltd and Elstree Land Ltd wanted to build the properties on land north of Reading Road in Arborfield.

The currently private, agricultural land would provide a mixture of one to four-bedroom homes, 40% of which would be affordable.

But Wokingham Borough Council's planning department said the location was a greenfield site in the countryside, which was "unacceptable in principle".

The developers' agent argued the site was sustainably located, within walking distance of services and facilities.

The land is around 1km west of the brand new centre of Arborfield Cross and close to bus stops that run services into Reading, Shinfield and Wokingham.

They added the houses would be designed "to respect and reflect the character of the area", which they described as "semi-rural".

But residents said the homes plan was "the last thing Arborfield needs" and worried about the "additional traffic it will generate".

The could said the plans would result in a development "with a scale, character and density that is out of keeping with character and appearance of the area and countryside".

It added the location would result in residents being overly reliant on cars, as there was a "poor quality of the local walking environment".