It’s been a year since plans for of tens thousands of homes in Wokingham and the surrounding villages were revealed.

Last November, Wokingham Borough Council revealed a selected list of sites that would be allocated for new homes as part of the Local Plan update.

The plan would set the tone for development until 2038.

The update suggested that 4,500 new homes could be built in a new ‘Loddon Valley garden village’, with pockets of hundreds of homes suggested at sites across the borough as well.

Since then, there has been an election which has seen the Liberal Democrats take power with the help of the Labour party.

As it’s been a year since the Plan Update was revealed (on November 12, 2021), the Local Democracy Reporting Service has asked how the process is going.

A review of the update is being headed by councillor Lindsay Ferris (Liberal Democrats, Twyford) executive member for planning and the Local Plan.

Cllr Ferris said: “We’re going through an iteration of the Local Plan to see what can be provided.

“We have a cross party working group and are looking at number of sites.

“In conjunction, we have been lobbying the government very strongly to see if we can get our targets reduced.

“The target is 781 properties per year for the full 15 years of the Local Plan.

“We as an area over the past 6-7 years have overprovided on the homes we needed to build.”

READ MORE: Why the Wokingham Local Plan update is so important 

In February, figures were released for how many new homes have been built from 2018-2021.

The figures revealed that more houses had been built in Wokingham Borough than the Government had required over the period, with 4,006 homes being  against a target of 2,125.

That means housebuilders have superseded the target by 1,881.

Cllr Ferris continued: “We have been making the point to the government that we have been more than providing the housing needs for the area.

“If you look at the census from 2011 to 2021 the increase in the population of the borough is 15 to 1, the third highest growth in the South East and one of the highest in the country.

“We think that should be taken into account.”

Clive Jones, council leader and Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Wokingham has consistenly lobbied for the housing targets to be reduced.

READ MORE: Wokingham Liberal Democrat administration lobby government to reduce housing targets

Cllr Ferris explained a review of the sites considered in the Local Plan Update and lobbying the government are efforts that are being run ‘in tandem’.

On sites that are being considered, cllr Ferris said: “We saw four developer sites three weeks ago, we visited them and they visited us, and we asked questions of them.”

The four sites visited were:

  1. Ruscombe – 2,500 homes
  2. Ashridge – 153 homes
  3. Loddon Valley / Hall Farm strategic development location (SDL) – for 4,500 homes
  4. Wokingham Without – 835 homes as part of the South Wokingham SDL 

Cllr Ferris said: “Just because we look at the sites doesn’t mean they are going ahead, we’re assessing whether they are viable or not.

“We have to look at things in an even handed manner and from a planning perspective.”

He added the working group is assessing the ‘good, bad and indifferent’ aspects of these proposals.

READ MORE: Twyford plan for 2,500 homes could still go ahead despite Local Plan snub

He finished the interview with a call for people in the borough to campaign for reduced housing targets.

Cllr Ferris said: “Development is going to change the character of the area.

“Particularly with green land, once it’s gone it’s gone forever.

“We believe we need to battle now, and say to the government our area has done a good wodge and whittle it [the housing target] down.”

READ MORE: What is a five year land supply and why is it so important?

The council’s administration is working on an updated Local Development Scheme and list of sites, which must under go statutory consultations.

Once areas for development are agreed, a regulation 19 consultation will be conducted, before the plan is submitted to the government for approval, refusal or adaptation.