Concern at plans to build roads outside Coley homes

Half a dozen neighbours met with the Chronicle to raise concerns about two roads being built as part of the development of 46 new homes on Wensley Road.

They say the roads will be dangerous for children in the area and were not addressed at the planning meeting where the new homes were approved.

READ MORE: Controversial 46-home plan approved by Reading councillors

Paul Krykant, who lives on Wensley Road, said: “They are going to be putting roads through what is essentially a residential area.

“The council officer said in the planning report that there wouldn’t be an increase in risk because currently people have to cross the car parks to get to the children’s play area.

“That is not true because there are paths all around that provide pedestrian access from the flats to the playground without going through the car parks.

“They have passed these roads based on a complete misrepresentation of information.”

He has asked the council for a copy of the risk assessment but said he has not heard back.

Dina Fappiano, another Wensley Road resident, said: “Children are going to be crossing the road unsupervised. It is a recipe for disaster.”

In response, the council said it “considered risk during the planning process”.

The residents say they were told the roads would be part of a separate planning application only to later be told the application would not be subject to consultation.

And one of the biggest concerns was about one of the roads which will be outside current houses on the Wensley Road loop.

Neighbours raised concern there were plans to place this road right outside front gardens with no pavement.

Mr Krykant said: “People will walk out of their gardens straight into the road.”

Where one of the roads will be, with concerns it will be right outside front gardens with no pavement

From the other side - where the new road will be

Russell Tegg, who lives in one of these homes, added: “That is not going to happen.

“If they think they are building it straight outside my house I will put a stop to it myself.”

However, the council said all new roads will have pavements.

A spokesman for the council said: “The new roads in question were considered as part of the planning application and have been assessed by the planning and highways departments, with a separate application relating to the stopping up of the existing road.

“The highways department considered risk at the planning application stage, and all houses will have front gardens and the new roads will have pavements.”

They added “With newly landscaped grounds and a new children’s play area as part of the improvements to the Wensley Road estate, along with opportunities for current tenants to move into the larger properties being built, families will be well catered for by the improvements.”

The residents have also raised concern that an already difficult current parking situation will get worse as they believe the amount of spaces with decrease.

Another Wensley Road resident Andrew Copson said the current parking situation in the area is “chaos”.

He said: “People are parking on the verges and various other places because there is nowhere else to park.”

While Ms Fappiano said the council has wrongly estimated the number of vehicles currently registered in the area in deciding how much parking to provide for the new development.

She said “We asked the Driver and Veicle Licensing Agency how many vehicles were registered around the loop. They said 377. The council said about 239 based on 2011 census data.”

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An RBC spokesman responded: “Parking concerns raised by some residents were examined as part of the process, and the planning applications committee on August 12, 2020, was satisfied that the proposed enhanced parking arrangements were sufficient for the area.

“The area surveyed includes a provision of 192 car parking spaces and these are to be retained within the reconfigured layout, along with an additional 38 spaces in line with car ownership data for the 46 proposed units.

“The development will provide 230 car parking spaces that are of a better layout than previously provided and are now to the required design standard.”

The residents say they have put an objection into the secretary of state about the roads and served the council with a statement of personal liability in case of a collision.