In summer 2007 Kennet Valley Park was recommended for inclusion in the South East Plan as a strategic development area which could deliver up to 7,500 much needed new homes in West Berkshire. This allocation has been removed despite a clear and serious shortage of homes in West Berkshire and the Reading area.

Our proposal for a sustainable new community would make a huge contribution towards both meeting local need and contributing to future economic growth and social prosperity for the region. It will provide up to 7,500 new homes, leisure and community facilities and the creation of a nature park for public use. In addition, KVP’s flood management scheme will ensure flood protection for the new development and reduced risk of flooding both for those living in the surrounding areas and in central Reading itself. Over 500 existing properties will have reduced risk of flooding as a result of the KVP flood management scheme.

The opportunity to provide homes near jobs, to ensure custodianship of the meadows in perpetuity and to reduce the risk of flooding in the Reading area - at the cost of the private sector - could be lost. We will, therefore, examine the Proposed Changes to the South East Plan in full in the coming weeks and make representations to the Government for the South East.