PLANS to build a 200-space public car park in Kenavon Drive have been refused amid fears of an increase in traffic.

Developers wanted to build a new long-stay car park on the outskirts of the town centre.

It would have been built on the grounds of the former Kodak factory which was demolished earlier this year.

However, transport chiefs at Reading Borough Council thwarted the application after they spotted a number of flaws in the application.

A report reads: "Insufficient information has been submitted with the planning application to enable the highways, traffic and transportation implications of the proposed development to be fully assessed.

"From the information submitted, it is considered that the additional traffic likely to be generated by the proposal would adversely affect the safety and flow of users of the existing road network within Reading.

"The proposed development does not comply with the Local Planning Authority’s standards in respect of vehicle access having a detrimental impact on the functioning of the highway."

Parking policy states that 70 per cent of the town centre car parking should be short-stay and only 30 per cent should be long-stay.

At present, 37 per cent of Reading's car parking is long-stay but will reduce to 35 per cent when the temporary cart park at the former BMW Cooper site in Napier Road ceases use.

The report continues: "The existing town centre offer for long stay parking is therefore already catered for and any additional long stay parking would be contrary to policy.

Developers will have to return with a fresh application if they wish to continue with their plans.

However, transport officers advised them they will need to offer at least 10 disabled parking spaces as part of the proposal after just five were offered in the initial application.