Wokingham Lib-Dem reaction to increase in Wokingham's Housing Allocation (Wokingham Liberal Democrats)

Wokingham Liberal Democrats <info@wokinghamlibdems.org.uk>

Wokingham Lib-Dem reaction to increase in Wokingham's Housing Allocation

August 31, 2007 12:00 PM

The Government has announced that Wokingham will have to take 623 new houses a year for the next 20 years instead of the 523 that had previously been proposed.

Councillor Prue Bray (Leader of the Liberal Democrat Councillor Group and councillor for Winnersh ward) said, "Frank Browne, the Tory leader at Wokingham Borough Council, took control of the council in 2002 on a promise to reduce the number of houses being allocated to Wokingham. He has had five years to deliver on his promise, but the result is a miserable failure and the numbers have actually gone up by 20% a year!

Wokingham Borough: Housing Completions 1976-2006

"This is sheer incompetence on the part of the Tories. Not only have they failed to reduce the number, they've managed to inflict even more houses on us.

"The question everyone is now asking is, 'where are they going to put all these houses?'. We simply can't keep cramming more and more houses into our towns and villages - our roads will be at a standstill and the infrastructure is already stretched to the limit. The Liberal Democrats believe the solution is to build a new settlement at Arborfield garrison, which is due to be vacated. This would provide all the infrastructure required and take the pressure off backland and infill development everywhere else.

"We have tried to persuade the Tories to accept the Arborfield solution, but they actually voted against the idea. We can only hope they will change their minds following this appalling news of the number of houses we are expected to take."

NOTE:

The following motion was debated at Wokingham Borough Council at the June 2006 Council meeting:

"This Council believes that a new settlement on the Arborfield Garrison site would be the best option for accommodating the housing this authority is required by central government to take. This option would reduce the pressure for backland and infill development in existing settlements across the district and would enable an appropriate level of contributions for transport, health and education infrastructure to be secured from the developers." The recorded vote was: 11 Lib Dems for, 32 Tories against and 3 Tories abstained (David Chopping, Angus Ross and Paul Swaddle).