Reading Liberal Democrats

Opposition to Sackville Properties’ Station Hill development opposite the new Reading Station has had its ranks swelled, as Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for Reading CllrGareth Epps has added a stinging formal objection to the scheme.

Cllr Epps has launched a stinging attack on the plans for “shutting down the chance of a central transport interchange, maybe for the rest of this century.” He has also slammed Labour Reading Borough Council for failing to provide a masterplan for the area, leaving the vital bus interchange pushed away to Valpy Street and failing to balance the need for offices and residential accommodation. It is a point he had made repeatedly in private and then in public in April on the launch of the Station Hill proposals.

The news comes as the influential Government design watchdog CABE has echoed Cllr Epps’ objections. CABE state concern about Reading Council’s failure to provide a planning blueprint for the area, and criticise the way the proposals fail to direct passengers arriving at Reading to the proposed bus area. CABE’s submission says that:-

“…the shape of the piazza and the position of the buildings around it do not create a legible environment with routes and views that will easily guide pedestrians towards the new station building and bus interchange. Views of the bus interchange and new station entrance will be obscured. We are concerned that without a detailed spatial masterplan that shows how the various projects in and around the station will link together, Reading’s vision will not be delivered successfully.”

Commenting, Gareth says:-

“I have warned that the Station area is far too important to be left to developers to design. Yet that is entirely what the Labour Council has done. It has failed to produce a masterplan for the area taking a lead from the station plans, and has lost the support of CABE for this reason. The result is unacceptable, as I predicted publicly in April and privately before that.

I am detecting considerable public unease at the lack of a proper transport interchange around the new station. These plans – including part of the current transport interchange – is guilty of shutting down the chance of a central transport interchange, maybe for the rest of this century.

The Station Hill development, and the other major developments to come by the station, simply must be guided by a framework that protects the public interest. That includes – or should include – the new public transport interchange that can only be provided now. Bad planning now removes the possibility of that happening forever. Shunting Reading’s buses over to Valpy Street would be a massive step backwards, and would indicate that Reading’s Labour council is far more concerned in appeasing developers than in creating the environment around the station that Reading so badly needs.”

Editor’s Notes:
Cllr Epps’ objection to the Station Hill planning application is available on request.

Its conclusion is:
“While we support the vision that Reading Borough Council has to redevelop the station and the land around, because of the concerns raised, we are unable to support this current planning application. There are a number of policy documents that set out the broad parameters for how the area should be developed. We think, however, that in reviewing planning applications 09/01079/OUT and 09/01004/LBC together, the need to develop a clear relationship between the projects has been demonstrated. We are concerned that without this, it is only when the development has been built, that the full impact of one project on another can be realised. Given that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to redevelop this area of Reading, we urge Reading Borough Council to review the Station Hill development in light of a comprehensive masterplan for the wider area, before determining this planning application.”