Council homes plan – if re-elected

WOKINGHAM Borough Council is to build 100 homes per year for the next four years on brownfield sites if the Conservatives retain control of the council in May.

The party is running a 1-4-5 housing challenge to build 1,000 council homes over the same period, providing a 5% return. The brownfield homes are in addition to that target.

Cllr John Kaiser, the executive member for finance and housing, revealed the information in an answer to a question from Evendons ward Conservative candidate Daniel Hinton, who wanted an update on the council’s progress on working with the government on building “the right number of houses in the right places”.

Last year, council leader John Halsall was successful in his lobbying to reduce the number of new homes built each year from 1,600 to between 700 and 800, something Cllr Kaiser said was “great news”.

He added: “I hope to bring forward a second draft of the Local Plan in early autumn. Fundamental to the success of that Plan and therefore to our overall housing strategy remains that new housing delivery in the Borough is planned and built in sustainable locations and through sustainable methods.

“It should address local housing priorities and be accompanied by essential infrastructure to support it.”