PLANS to build 153 homes on farmland in Wokingham are expected to be approved this month.

David Wilson Homes has applied for planning permissions to construct one, two, three and four bedroom homes on Ashridge Farm in Warren House Road.

The developer is looking to build three apartment blocks, containing one and two-bedroom flats, as well as terraces and semi-detached and detached houses.

According to the plans, 53 of the new homes will be affordable and 335 parking spaces and 26 acres of public open space will be provided on the site, which is one mile north of Wokingham town centre.

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The developer has also agreed to sign over part of the land to Wokingham Borough Council, so a section of the Northern Distributor Road can be built on it.

A planning committee is expected to grant planning permission when it meets on Wednesday, December 16, after council planning officers recommended the plans for approval.

However, they have said developers must complete another Flood Risk Assessment and update plans for an effective drainage system before construction can begin.

The developers are planning to divert Ashridge Stream to reduce the risk of flooding, but part of the site will be built in Flood Zone 3, which means there is a high risk of flooding.

Bracknell News:

According to the plans, part of the public space will be in that high-risk flood zone, but no homes will be built in it.

In a report, the officers added: “The proposals are considered to strike an appropriate balance between the provision of a sustainable housing scheme while respecting the surrounding character and appearance of the area.

“Whilst Historic England consider that the proposals would result in harm to the setting of the (Grade II) listed farmhouse and curtilage listed barns, the public benefits arising from the proposals are considered to outweigh the identified harm.”