Unified Opposition Defeats Developers: Campaign Round-Up

#rdgnews - The plan to build 750 new homes on Pincents Hill has been rejected at a meeting of West Berkshire council's planning committee at Little Heath School.

The Pincent's Hill site from the air

The issue became a highly controversial feature of the Reading West parliamentary campaign as candidates on all sides spoke up against the proposed development while developer Blue Living failed to turn up in person, instead sending legal representation who accused politicians of 'trying to win cheap votes'.

Linda Fort notes Labour and Conservative candidates welcomed the rejection.

Conservative Alok Sharma commented on the 1,400 people who signed a petition against the plan, stating that "local people are overwhelmingly opposed to any development on this site."

LibDem candidate Cllr Daisy Benson, who chairs Reading's housing scrutiny committee, paid tribute to the work of community activists organised by her party colleagues Cllr Ricky Duveen and Jean Gardener, as well as Joan Lawrie and the Save Calcot campaign, explaining that the reasons for the rejection are all "closely linked to the detrimental effect the development could have on the environment and the quality of life of residents. "

Meanwhile Labour's Naz Sarkar highlighted two 'major' points of opposition, namely that the site is located outside current settlement boundaries and that the greenfield site is a vital open space between Tilehurst and Theale. He also pays his tribute

"to the dedication of Joan Lawrie and the Save Calcot Action Group who have raised and publicised this issue providing detailed evidence of why this planning proposal should be rejected."

The Pincents Hill site from the ground

However Cllr Ricky Duveen picks out the continuing bone of contention between local and national government, asking,

"I wonder what a new Tory or Labour government would do to give local people more power to decide on planning issues for themselves rather than have their decisions made by an Inspector or the minister?"

This is significant, as Pamela Owen reports, because the Local Development Framework set out at national level continues to include a desired figure of 10,500 new homes in its' core strategy to be built in the area over the course of the next decade.

And Green Party candidate Adrian Windisch made it a full house by collecting a selection of sources on the subject, describing the 'rapurous applause' which greeted the decision.


Oranjepan asks:
After they criticised local politicians for hindering economic development by being disunited during this year's budget debate, will the good people in the local media now give credit to the political classes for being united on this issue or continue to stand full square on the bottom line?

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More on the campaign to save Pincent's Hill and White Hart Meadows.

An Overview Of Democracy In Action

Reading Chronicle wades into the political arena by publishing a leader article commenting on the budget debate.

They say the different political attitudes are getting in the way of helping the region out of the recession, describing politicians who

"squabble and snipe like argumentative children, rather than climb down from their pet hobby horses and talk to each other like grown-ups for the good of the people they purport to represent."

Oranjepan says:
Clearly the editorial staff at the Chronicle don't watch PMQs!

While some may take a dislike to the personal styles of disagreement and think these means of expression are not the most productive, let nobody be fooled that there are serious issues at stake to be fought over and that these disagreements are not easily overcome.

So the estimable publication should themselves be warned that it is even more detrimental to the general well-being to sit on the sidelines bemoaning the actions of others without making any direct contributions to the debate, as this only adds to the apathy and disillusion that holds us all back.

Better a reliable result than a quick fix.

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More on Reading's Budget 2010/11

Recommended Reading List #50

Sean O'Dell reviews Warren Berry's new book 'The Kennet And Avon Navigation: A History' for the British Association of Local History.


The lecturer on local and regional history concludes that "this is a concise, well-researched and informative book that will appeal to local historians and anyone with an interested in the origins and development of our inland navigations."

He describes how "the trading decline of the canal is examined, and detailed account of its subsequent rescue and restoration is provided," which from my point of view this will suggest some interesting insights into regeneration issues.

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More Recommended Reading List