Swedish furniture giants IKEA will invest £5 million to improve roads around its new site in Calcot.

The store was given the go-ahead last Wednesday by councillors despite a number of objections from neighbours.

Plans for Calcot IKEA store approved

At the meeting on Wednesday night at Theale Green Community School, West Berkshire Council’s (WBC) planning committee voted seven to four in favour to build the retail giant, redeveloping a number of derelict units at the Pincents Lane Retail Park.

In addition to the store, a multi-storey car park with 1,179 spaces will be built on land behind the Porsche building.

To ease congestion around the store lanes will be widen at the nearby junctions with the M4.

IKEA will also fund improvements to both approaches on the M4 footbridges and an extension of the number 26 bus service, which travels between Reading town centre and Sainsbury’s, to IKEA.

The opening of the store will create 400 new jobs.

During the meeting, which lasted almost four hours, councillors heard representations from a number of objectors, including Councillor Mary Bedwell from Holybrook Parish Council, Jean Gardner from Tilehurst Parish Council and local resident Terry Clayton, whose speeches were met with rounds of applause from members of the public.

Cllr Bedwell said she had no issue with the principle of IKEA but felt the development would have a “severe detrimental impact” on the environment.

She also urged the committee to consider the effect of the extra traffic accessing the store and said the £5 million IKEA planned to spend ‘simply wasn’t enough’.

Mrs Gardner echoed Cllr Bedwell’s comments about traffic congestion and also welcomed the opportunity of the retailer coming to the area but raised concerns about the loss of leisure facilities on the site.

During the planning committee’s debate, Cllr Alan Macro told the meeting he wanted an IKEA but was not sure if he wanted one on “this exact site” and said he felt some of the information in the planning report was misleading, while Cllr Brian Bedwell voiced concern about the impact the store would have on Sainsbury’s.

Cllr Alan Law urged his fellow members to think what the area would be like in five to 10 years time as “the council doesn’t have the money to do the road improvements we want” and said smaller businesses would not be able to fund such a project as they “don’t have the profits IKEA have”.

Following the decision to approve the plans, Reading West MP Alok Sharma, who attended the meeting, said: “Whilst I, and many of my constituents, have always welcomed the jobs IKEA will bring, we have had serious concerns about potential traffic congestion on local roads. On jobs I was very pleased that, on the suggestion of Cllr Pamela Bale and others, IKEA will be required to demonstrate that local residents will benefit from the new employment opportunities being created.

“It was a split vote on the committee and I would much rather have preferred a unanimous decision, after a review of the traffic issues highlighted by local community representatives, and allowing local residents further comfort on the traffic mitigation measures outlined.”

Carole Reddish, acting country manager for IKEA, said: “We considered the various comments raised by local residents to ensure that the final store design met the needs of both IKEA and the surrounding community. We look forward to continuing working closely with the people of Calcot to develop our store.”

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