ONE OF the borough’s MPs has met with Earley residents concerned about the national planning reform.
Matt Rodda joined members of ACER, the Whitegates resident’s association over plans to rip up planning regulations and replace them with a system that steps away from local consultation.
The association responded to the Planning For The Future white paper and met with their MP to talk about the pressure on existing suburbs.
Tim Marsh, vice-chair of ACER, said: “The principal pressure on established suburbs is to accommodate more people in a given area.
“This is only possible to do sympathetically when careful planning rules are in place and enforced, and must include the effect on local infrastructure.
“Government proposals are targeting Wokingham with huge increase in housing development, much of which is likely to fall on suburbs such as White-gates because of greenbelt protection.”
He said: “Whitegates is already under pressure through loss of Greenspace due to development and overdevelopment of housing plots.
“Some neighbourhoods now suffer from inconsiderate parking, loss of the street-scene gardens, trees and grass verges, plus overbearing rear extensions and outbuildings which do not blend in.”
Mr Marsh explained that the association finds some merit in the reform. Particularly the need toprepare Local Plans quicker, focus on design quality and to better train planning officers in design.
But the group believes that gentle densification in areas marked for renewal is not a credible model.
He said: “We fear that it would trigger the dumping of excessive numbers of new houses and ad-hoc extensions into the suburbs on the back of unfettered development, including replacing existing two-storey houses with four- and five-storey residences.
“There is no indication as to how such a strategy is to be achieved in an acceptable way. The suburbs offer more spacious living and more privacy than living in town centres. Government proposed gentle densification will cram more housing into the suburbs.”
The organisation will be meeting with Reading East MP Mr Rodda again this month.