MATT RODDA GIVES COMMENT ON THE EMMER GREEN PLANNING APPLICATION
READING  EAST  MP  Matt  Rodda  today  thanked  the  Planning  Committee  at  South Oxfordshire District Council in their decision to reject the planning application by Gladman Developments which comprised of 245 residential dwellings at land off Peppard Road in Emmer Green.

In  addition  to  the  Planning  Committee  receiving  over  300  letters  of  objection  from residents, Matt submitted an detailed letter to Mr Alok Sharma MP, the Housing and Planning Minister. In his letter, Matt appealed to Mr Sharma to call in the  application in order to safeguard the interests of local residents and also preserve the integrity of the local plans of the two local authorities.

Referring to last night’s decision by the Planning Committee, Matt said:

“I am thankful to South Oxfordshire District Council for listening to our concerns.  Their decision against this boundary development supports Reading’s plans for town centre regeneration and preserves the greenfield areas which form part of the edge of our town.
The application submitted by Gladman Developments was contrary to the draft Reading local plan, which identifies sufficient brownfield land to provide projected housing demand within Reading until 2036. Had the application been permitted, the future development of Reading could have been altered for good, which would have lead to more suburban sprawl and which would have stopped urban regeneration in its tracks. This could have damaged  the  redevelopment  of  the  town,  harming  residents,  public  services  and businesses. I hope that work can now progress to look at using the existing brownfield sites we have here in Reading to facilitate the housing need in the area.”