Many people in Wokingham feel our area has more than done its bit for new housing development in recent years. Surely it is time to slow the rate of n ew build, let the infrastructure catch up, and allow us to enjoy the woods, fields and green spaces that remain?
I have successfully lobbied the government with other similarly placed and like minded MPs. The government is dropping the national top down targets requiring large amounts of new development in places like Wokingham, and the operation of the five year supply of land rules. What the government asks in return is that local planning authorities including Wokingham Borough should produce an up to date local plan making reasonable provision for new homes and be prepared to defend their case. With a proper local plan we are then promised permissions will not be granted on appeal outside the approved plan areas.
So the Council should be getting on with our new local plan to gain that protection. Instead the Lib Dem leadership of the Council are refusing to get on with it. This will leave us wide open to more development on appeal as developers will be able to use the absence of a plan to justify more building than we would like in places where we do not want it.
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