Hundreds object to Tilehurst housing estate plan

Objectors are worried about the loss of green space and the effect on wildlife

More than 1,600 objections have been lodged against plans for new homes in a Reading suburb.

Developer U+I wants to build 265 homes and a GP surgery off Pincents Lane, Tilehurst.

The plans include a nine-hectare (22-acre) park and a "woodland buffer" between the town and the new estate.

West Berkshire Council has received more than 1,620 objections and 235 letters of support. A decision is due in the spring.

Supporters say the scheme will provide much-needed affordable housing in Tilehurst, but objectors are concerned about the loss of green space and the extra pressure on infrastructure, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

More than 260 homes are planned for the site

One objector wrote: "This is a much-loved recreational area in a part of the greater Reading area which has been losing its green spaces bit-by-bit over the last 20-plus years."

A letter written in support of the scheme said: "The prices in Tilehurst are ridiculously expensive. The mixture of homes that are planned for Pincents Lane would enable me to get my foot on the housing ladder."

U+I said 106 of the new homes would be classed as "affordable" and it would provide £1m to invest in infrastructure.

U+I director Jonny Anstead said: "Having over 200 residents write in support is a welcome endorsement of our plans and highly unusual for any major application in West Berkshire.

"It shows that we have listened and responded to public feedback. We have reduced the number of homes by 65% from 750 under earlier proposals down to 265."

In 2009, plans for 750 homes, a hotel and shops on the site were rejected.