Councillors advised to refuse Reading Golf Club homes

Reading Golf Club wants to build 257 homes on the former golf course

Councillors have been advised they should refuse a controversial planning application to build 257 homes on a golf course.

Planning officers at Reading Borough Council recommended the proposed development at Reading Golf Course in Emmer Green should be rejected.

Their reasons included protecting open spaces and avoiding environmental harm.

Reading Golf Club (RGC) previously said the development would leave a legacy for the area.

A previous planning application for the Kidmore End Road site attracted more than 1,000 objections.

The current planning application has received a further 500 objections, and about 125 messages of support.

In a council report, planning officers said the RGC development, in partnership with Fairfax, would lead to loss of a significant amount of open space.

They suggested the groupings of buildings across the site would fail to create a development with its own identity, and there would be an "adverse effect" on trees and a "net loss of biodiversity".

They added the plan would fail to achieve zero carbon homes standards, improve sustainable transport, or improve a nearby junction to mitigate the development's impact.

RGC moved to Caversham Heath Golf Club in April and said the development would bring much-needed family homes with gardens to north Reading.

The plans also include a healthcare facility and a public open space with a footpath and cycleways.

Campaign group Keep Emmer Green (KEG), which opposes the development, has revealed an alternative proposal to turn the site into an arboretum, should the land come up for sale.

It said this would create 100 acres of open green public space and would be the first new arboretum in Berkshire for over a century.

Reading's Planning Applications Committee is set to make a decision on Wednesday.