The failure by Wokingham Borough Council’s Liberal Democrat and Labour coalition to produce a new Local Plan has resulted in yet another unacceptable planning application being recommended for approval by the Planning Committee.
Council officers want councillors to approve an application for 81 homes near Trowes Lane in Swallowfield because the authority does not have a proper pipeline of housing set out in a new Local Plan. Conservative Opposition councillors have accused the Liberal Democrats, and their Labour supporters, of sacrificing communities like Swallowfield to win votes in other parts of the Borough by refusing to act.
The proposed development has been branded “woefully unsustainable”. It is in an area of open countryside, and would not have adequate infrastructure and transport links.
Despite its clear unsuitability, officers are recommending the development be approved because the Borough does not have a five year land supply of deliverable housing sites.
Former Liberal Democrat Council Leader Clive Jones has been criticised for speaking against the development despite having failed to act on delivering a new Local Plan when he ran the authority. Conservative councillors have also criticised Cllr Jones for writing as a Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate to residents against the development – campaigning on an issue that he has the power to resolve as a member of the Council’s ruling Group.
Cllr Pauline Jorgensen, Leader of the Conservative Group, said:
“Yet again, we find a totally unacceptable planning application being recommended for approval because the Liberal Democrats and Labour won’t get on and produce a Local Plan.
“Clive Jones is trying to take Swallowfield residents for fools – arguing against the application when it was his leadership of the Council that saw a year of dithering on the Local Plan. He refused to act in the hopes that the Lib Dems wouldn’t have to break their impossible promises to residents to stop developments. Now, he writes empty platitudes as a parliamentary candidate – campaigning for votes at Swallowfield’s expense.
“Swallowfield is a small village in a semi-rural area and without infrastructure to support large developments like this.
“The Lib Dems need to get on now with a Local Plan. Residents deserve better than unsuitable housing developments on green fields being waved through by the Council, all to avoid the Lib Dems upsetting some voters to help Clive Jones try to get to Westminster.”
