More than 60 residents turned out to a public meeting to voice their concerns about proposals to demolish a former halls of residence in Earley and build 89 homes.

Dozens of residents went along to the recent meeting of Earley Town Council’s planning committee, which saw town councillors voice objections to the proposals for Sibly Hall in Redhatch Drive.

The plans submitted by The University of Reading are a revised version of a refused application to build 99 homes on the site.

The latest application reduces the number of houses and makes changes relating to the design and layout of the site.

But residents and councillors raised concerns, saying the proposals would create an area of cramped development and could be hazardous to the environment.

After the meeting, a spokesman for Earley Town Council said councillors were not satisfied with the proposals.

He said: “It was considered that these latest proposals still represented an over-development of the site and that the density was higher than established surrounding developments.”

Councillors also expressed concerns about the potential to increase flooding and the impact increased traffic would have on nearby roads.

There were also concerns about the potential for a negative impact on Redhatch Copse, a section of registered ancient woodland, although a management plan for the area has been submitted with the planning application.

Prior to the meeting David Savage, director of finance and corporate services at The University of Reading, said the university had been working closely with Wokingham Borough Council ahead of the revised planning application.

He said the proposals were designed to deliver much needed housing and to still provide appropriate safeguards for the environment.

Comments about the application were submitted to Wokingham Borough Council from Earley Town Council including a note pointing out that a misspelling on the borough council website had made it difficult for some residents to view the plans.

A consultation on the application ends on Sunday, January 29.

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