Residents discuss a proposal for 3,900 homes in Loddon Valley, raising concerns about infrastructure and urban sprawl.
Reading: A meeting was held to discuss a plan for 3,900 homes in Loddon Valley. This area is between Shinfield and Winnersh, on land called Hall Farm.
The University of Reading partly owns the land. The proposal aims to create a garden village as part of the Wokingham Local Plan update.
Save Our Loddon Valley Environment (SOLVE) and the Conservative Party hosted the event. Councillor Pauline Jorgensen, the opposition leader, said it was important for residents to know about Hall Farm.
About 55 people attended the meeting at Winnersh Community Centre. Many residents were unaware of the proposal, making the meeting useful.
The meeting also related to a by-election for the Winnersh ward. This was triggered by the death of Liberal Democrat councillor Paul Fishwick last November.
Conservative candidate Nick Kilby and other candidates from different parties were present. They included Chetne Jamthe for the Liberal Democrats, Parvinder Singh for Labour, and Samuel Langlois from the Green Party.
Spencer Farmer, a Conservative campaign manager, expressed opposition to the Hall Farm plan. He mentioned that the proposal has been controversial since it emerged in 2021.
Farmer noted that the Conservatives listened to public feedback. He emphasized that residents deserve to be informed about the development.
During the meeting, Paul Stevens from SOLVE raised concerns about the impact of the Hall Farm development. He warned it could create urban sprawl without proper infrastructure.
Stevens questioned whether the new homes were truly needed locally or if they were for newcomers from other areas.
Some accused the Conservatives of hypocrisy for opposing a plan they initially supported. Farmer defended the party’s position, stating they listened to residents’ concerns.
Councillor Prue Bray from the Liberal Democrats criticized Jorgensen for misleading attendees. She claimed that other Conservative councillors admitted they couldn’t stop the development.
Andy Croy from Wokingham Labour called the meeting a campaign event rather than a serious discussion. He argued that Hall Farm is likely a done deal.
Farmer, a Conservative councillor, is involved in local politics. The Local Democracy Reporting Service has reached out to the Green Party for a statement.
