Have your say on Reading's future development plans

Residents, businesses and organisations in Reading have a final opportunity to provide feedback on the borough’s Local Plan.

The consultation is open now and runs until 18 December. You can view details of the Local Plan and submit feedback online, or at drop-in sessions where council planners will be available to answer questions:

• Tuesday 26 November 2024, 1pm to 6pm, Civic Offices
• Wednesday 11 December 2024, 2:30pm – 7:30pm, Civic Offices

What is the Local Plan?

Adopted in 2019, the Local Plan sets out policies on key planning issues such as housing, infrastructure and sustainability. As required by law, the council has updated the plan to meet current and future needs. This includes updated national legislation and the borough’s net-zero carbon goals.

The updated version outlines key changes including:

• A focus on affordable and family-sized homes, with developers outside central Reading encouraged to meet a target of 67% family housing (up from 50%)
• Continued emphasis on energy-efficient housing to reduce costs and support sustainability
• New sites for development, particularly for housing, to address the national housing shortage and rising living costs

The final draft of the Local Plan will be submitted to the Secretary of State for approval in 2025, followed by an independent public examination.

Why your feedback matters

Councillor Micky Leng, Reading Borough Council’s Lead for Planning, emphasized the importance of public input:

“This is the final opportunity for people to feedback on what is a key document for our town which will have a material impact on how it looks and develops up to 2041.

“Changes have been made from the previous version, including a substantial increase in the creation of family-sized homes by developers outside of Central Reading. It also continues to demand high standards from developers in terms of creating genuinely sustainable and energy efficient homes, which also help to drive down costs for struggling households.

“Aside from steering the type of development the town needs, it is also important to say that the Local Plan plays a key role in the protection of land and changes in national law and policy which mean that greater protection must also be afforded to biodiversity, wildlife and existing habitats.

“I’d urge residents, businesses and organisations across Reading to take some time over the coming weeks to take a look at our intended direction of travel and feed into our town’s Local Plan.”

Have your say and help shape Reading's future.