'No room' for new housing, warns Twyford councillor

There is no room in the village for new housing, a Twyford councillor has stressed after Wokingham Borough Council published a list of sites suggested for development.

More than 200 sites have been proposed by people in the borough as part of the council’s Local Plan Update.

The sites in Twyford are:

-Two sites, one of 12 hectares and the other of seven hectares, at Bridge Farm, in New Bath Road.

-Three hectares of land west of Hurst Road

-24 hectares of land north of the A4

-Less than one hectare at 134 Wargrave Road

-Six hectares of land west of Twyford

In Charvil four sites have been nominated, including 12 hectares in Park View Drive North, and in Ruscombe, 41 hectares of land to the west of London Road has been suggested.

Wokingham’s Objectively Assessed Need sets a target of 856 homes to be built every year until 2036.

Though the sites listed are not guaranteed to be developed, it led Twyford councillor John Jarvis (Con) to speak out in opposition to any housing on the six sites listed for the village.

He said: “We in Twyford think we are full.

“There is no infrastructure. The doctor’s surgeries are full.

“If we aren’t careful, we will close the gap with Charvil, Wargrave, and could get closer into Maidenhead.”

He believes any decision by the council to build new housing in Twyford will exacerbate existing problems in the village, including station parking.

He added: “If they were to decide that the sites in the area of Twyford, Ruscombe and Remenham were to be released for housing, I would be against that.”

The council will begin assessing each site and the results will be put to the public in a consultation scheduled for June next year.

Cllr Mark Ashwell, the executive member for planning and regeneration, said people did not need to worry if their villages genuinely weren’t able to take on more homes.

He said: “If all of Twyford floods, it won’t be built on.

“If Twyford does not have the infrastructure, it will be thrown out at the first hurdle.”

The sites will now be assessed and areas that would be difficult to build on will be filtered out.