Council furious with plans to extend golf club development

A PARISH council has objected to plans to extend a housing development into its boundary which it says is “speculative” and “unsustainable”.

Land acquisitions company Fairfax wants to build 70 homes at the former Reading Golf Course site west of Kidmore End Road, which falls within Kidmore End parish.

There are currently 223 homes being built on the site within the Caversham boundary as part of the Emmer Green Drive development.

It has now applied to South Oxfordshire District Council for outline permission to extend the development on to six hectares of land to the north of the site up to Cucumber Wood.

Early designs of the project show the homes being contained in a mix of detached, semi-detached and terraced houses.

It also promises a new public green space and play area, and electric vehicle charging points.

The extension would share roads and access with the rest of the development, with entry and exit at the existing junction with Kidmore End Road in Emmer Green.

Fairfax received outline permission from Reading Borough Council for the development of 223 homes in Caversham in 2022 in the wake of objections from 4,000 residents.

It then sold the land to Vistry Thames Valley, a consortium of housebuilders.

Boyer Planning, acting on behalf of Fairfax, said that 40 per cent of the development would be allocated as affordable housing.

At a meeting of Kidmore End Parish Council, members agreed unanimously to object to the application in “the strongest possible terms”.

Caroline Aldridge, who chairs the council, shared an objection to be submitted on behalf of the council to the planning authority.

In the statement, Cllr Aldridge said that the site of the proposal was not allocated for development in any local or neighbourhood development plan. She said: “Kidmore End Parish Council objects in the strongest possible terms. It lies outside the settlement boundary of any village. It is on a greenfield site within the setting of the Chilterns Natural landscape.

“It is not allocated for development in any adopted or emerging plan.”

Residents who attended the meeting raised concerns over urban sprawl and overdevelopment.

Sue Bradforth, of Gallowstree Common, said: “Again, there will be an impact on the landscape of Kidmore End parish with it being enlarged. I am very concerned.”

Helen Lambert, of Caversham and District Residents’ Association, said that infrastructure, traffic, and health provision are major concerns.

She added: “Kidmore End Road is narrow and there are several sections where one vehicle can’t pass another, so that’s a concern.”

The district council will make a final decision by August 6.