Consultation has begun over plans for a garden village of almost 4,000 homes in the Wokingham borough.

The University of Reading and its partners, Hatch Farm Land and Gleeson Land, have unveiled new details on their plans for Loddon Garden Village, a new development between Shinfield, Arborfield and Sindlesham, south of the M4.

It will include new schools, employment areas, road links, open spaces, shops, healthcare services and transport connections.

The university and its partners have been working on the garden village with Wokingham Borough Council following the development of the council’s updated Local Plan.

A series of public engagement and consultation events will be held this month on the scheme which will eventually deliver around 3,930 homes.

Key features include:

  • A 200-hectare country park in Wokingham, which will connect to existing green spaces, including others managed by the University of Reading.
  • Two new primary schools and a new secondary school, close to museum and cultural collections and research-based employment.
  • A business hub including an expansion of Thames Valley Science Park.
  • A focus on sustainability, through energy-efficient new homes and community spaces, renewable power generation and on-site energy storage.
  • Three new neighbourhood centres with new shops, all-weather sports pitches, community and healthcare facilities.

The garden village is expected to deliver around 2,700 new homes by 2040, with up to 40 per cent of them designated for below-market rent or shared ownership.

There will be improvements to road, cycle, bus, and pedestrian connections, including a new link over the M4 to Lower Earley Way which will have an additional lane.

There will be a new link to Hatch Farm Way and improvements to other neighbouring roads as well as a new half-hourly bus service connecting the site to Wokingham and Reading town centres.

The site for garden village includes the University of Reading’s Hall Farm, which is owned by the National Institute for Research in Dairying (NIRD) Trust. All receipts from the land belonging to the NIRD Trust will be invested into food and agriculture research.

The university says one of the scheme’s key goals is to grow its position as a world leader for the study of food and farming, supporting new facilities and investment in the local area.

Prof Robert Van de Noort, vice-chancellor of the University of Reading, said: “The University of Reading and Hall Farm have been an important part of the local community for more than a century.

“We want Loddon Garden Village to have a positive impact for local people and our environment, providing sustainable housing alongside the necessary facilities and infrastructure, while helping us expand our agricultural work.

“We believe this is a well-considered scheme, which also supports our aims to make Reading and Wokingham a global centre for the study of food and farming for the century ahead.”

Zoe Chacksfield, senior planning manager for Gleeson Land, said:  “Together, we are aiming to create a vibrant place where people can enjoy working, living, and leisure activities.

“Our proposals provide much needed housing in the area while also opening up and restoring wildlife habitats and green and open spaces, including a new country park, while protecting and enhancing the floodplain.”

Upcoming consultation events are as follows:

  • Saturday, March 22: Shinfield School Green Centre, 10am – 5pm
  • Friday, March 28: University of Reading Whiteknights Campus, Meadow Suite, 10am – 5pm.
  • Saturday, March 29: Arborfield Village Hall, 11.30am – 5pm.

The consultation closes on April 21 and a planning application is expected to be submitted to Wokingham Borough Council later in the Summer.

Visit www.reading.ac.uk/lgv

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