New development on former Reading Golf Club site will bring benefits for ecology and local community

A new development which is set to take shape on part of the former location of Reading Golf Club is set to bring a host of benefits for the local community and wildlife.

Vistry Group’s detailed plans for 223 new homes on the site in Emmer Green were approved by Reading Borough Council’s planning applications committee last month (March) subject to the completion of an updated planning agreement.

The housebuilder acquired the land off Kidmore End Road last year and will be building 156 private homes under its Bovis Homes and Linden Homes brands as well as providing 67 affordable properties for local people.

The development will include ecological improvements, with Vistry planning to plant 209 native trees, a net gain of 104 trees across the site. Hedgehog highways will be provided by creating gaps in fencing to allow hedgehogs to roam freely, while bird and bat boxes and hedgehog houses will also be installed, as well as log piles and bat sensitive lighting to provide suitable habitats for wildlife.

The development will also bring more than £4.6m in planning contributions to the local area. This will include Community Infrastructure Levy payments of £2,800,000 plus a further £550,000 towards local healthcare provision, £335,000 towards carbon offsetting and £560,000 towards recreation and leisure including a new 3G sports pitch. Further contributions will made towards bus services and road improvements.

Alix Laflin, marketing manager for Vistry Thames Valley, said: “We have carefully designed the new homes we’re planning to build on the former Reading Golf Club site to ensure they are a positive addition to the local community.

“As well as the planning contributions we are making towards local infrastructure and facilities, we will also deliver a scheme of ecological enhancements within the development to ensure we create a wildlife-friendly landscape. New native tree planting will provide new habitats for a variety of birds and invertebrates and new wildlife habitats are also an integral part of the project.”

The new homes will be built on a 29-acre parcel of land at the southern end of the former golf course. Reading Golf Club moved into its new home at The Caversham, in nearby Mapledurham, in 2021.

The majority of homes on site will be provided with electric vehicle charging points and photovoltaic solar panels, while 81 properties will be heated by air source heat pumps.

Construction of the new homes is due to start in mid-Summer this year, along with the first properties to be released for sale.

For more information, visit bovishomes.co.uk or lindenhomes.co.uk.