Funding of almost £25 million has been secured to create a relief road as part of a 2,400-home development west of Wokingham.

Wokingham Borough Council and the University of Reading successfully bid for the £24.7 million loan to build the Shinfield Eastern Relief Road.

The relief road is a vital part of the council’s plans for development in Shinfield, Spencers Wood and Three Mile Cross, known as the South of M4 Strategic Development Location (SDL), and will see 2,400 homes built by 2026.

The investment was announced by housing minister Mark Prisk during a visit to Mitfords Fields, a 270-home development by Bovis Homes in Three Mile Cross, on Tuesday.

He said: “We want to make sure we are not just building houses but the infrastructure – the roads, schools and homes together.

“If we just build houses on their own we would end up with estates and not communities.

“This money is about the roads, which can unlock something that can be developed and is sustainable.

“In the past we have focused on homes, but we have to focus on the capacity issues.”

The investment means the road, which will lead to the university’s 18,580sqm science park and the new housing, will alleviate the impact of increased congestion from the developments by removing through traffic on the A327 in Shinfield.

The relief road will link the A327 south of Shinfield with the Black Boy roundabout and will include a new road bridge over the M4.

Cllr David Lee, Wokingham Borough Council leader, said the funding will add to £2.5 million the council received from Government to provide the right infrastructure for its four SDLs to ensure quality housing developments.

Cllr Lee added: “The £2.5 million has helped with the Arborfield bypass, which is the other part of this relief road.”

The loan to the university from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) means the relief road can be built at an early stage in the development and will create around 780 jobs.

Sir David Bell, the university’s vice chancellor, said: “We always saw the importance of the Shinfield Eastern Relief Road and the funding allows us to move a little bit quicker than what would have been the case.

“We are hoping we will be ready to start with this in 2015 and that feels like a point in time that is not too far in the distance.”

Site navigation

• Home
• News
• Business
• Sport
• Entertainment
• Lifestyle
• Jobs
• Property
• Motoring
• Classifieds