Plans to build 249 homes in Shinfield have been pulled from a Wokingham Borough Council planning meeting on Wednesday evening.

Last week the News reported how the controversial proposals were set to be given the green light having been withdrawn from a previous planning meeting in February. 

Almost 100 of the houses set for development at land south of Cutbush Lane will be three bedroom houses, 49 will be four-bedroom houses, 67 will be two-bedroom houses and 41 will be one and two-bedroom apartments.

Of the 249 homes, 87 are expected to be made affordable.

This represents 34.9 per cent of all housing, which is below the council’s required ratio of 35 per cent.

The application was set for approval after complications over land use at a previous planning committee meeting delayed judgement on the plans. 

Wokingham Borough Council’s planning committee members threw out a planning application related to the plans to build 249 homes at the site. 

The University of Reading had applied for permission to make more than 21 hectares of land west of River Loddon available for recreational use, which would have made it possible for the housing application to move forward, but councillors rejected these plans over flooding concerns.

Bellway Homes then decided to withdraw their 249 homes proposal, but their plans were set to be judged by the planning committee again after it emerged the site already had suitable natural greenspace to support the land.

But now applicants Bellway Homes have withdrawn the planning application from consideration at this evening's council meeting in order to finalise legal agreements. 

In a statement, a spokesperson for the developer said: "We want to try and conclude our Section 106 agreement with Wokingham (Borough Council) before returning back to committee, which we hope to be in the next 4-8 weeks.

"The scheme is recommended for approval with all technical and policy matters approved, but planning permission can only be issued when Section 106 is completed.

"Therefore, we have decided to wait to eliminate any concern around our commitment to deliver significant community benefits and infrastructure improvements until the agreement is finalised."