The deadline has passed

The early-stage masterplan consultation closed on 14 May 2026. If you submitted a response - whether via the form, by email, or both - thank you. Every response on the record matters.

If you missed the deadline, don’t worry. The next opportunity to engage is the draft SPD consultation, expected in summer 2026. This is actually the more important stage - by then there will be a real document to argue about, with specific wording that can be challenged and improved. This site will be updated when the draft consultation opens.

I’m not happy about this development. Most Thatcham residents aren’t. But wishing it away isn’t going to help anyone. My plan is to engage with the process and push to make the best of a very bad situation.

What’s happening

The decision to build here has already been made in principle. The Local Plan, adopted in June 2025, allocates land for up to 2,500 new homes on the north east edge of Thatcham. That’s roughly a 25% increase in the town’s population. The Inspector who approved it actually increased the number from 1,500 to 2,500, against the council’s wishes.

It’s extremely unlikely to be stopped. The legal challenges are gone and the principle is settled.

What isn’t settled is what those 2,500 homes actually look like, what infrastructure comes with them, and whether Thatcham ends up a better place as a result. That’s what we can still influence.

What I submitted

I spent several weeks reading the council’s own commissioned evidence and put together a detailed submission covering the main issues I care about. You can read the full document here:

Download my submission

I also filled in the official online form. You can read my form responses here.

The main points

On employment

Thatcham residents already commute out in large numbers because there aren’t enough local jobs. The council’s own research shows the town’s office market is roughly one twelfth the size of Newbury’s. Adding 2,500 homes without binding employment provision just makes that worse. The SPD should require real employment space, phased alongside housing, with occupation triggers so it actually gets built.

On transport

No dwelling should be occupied until GWR and Network Rail confirm the Berks and Hants line can absorb the additional demand. GWR’s On Time rate is 61.5%. The line had three complete closures in a single quarter in 2024. Thatcham station has 55 car parking spaces. The council’s own model found that even a new 15-minute bus service would reduce car use by just 2.5%.

The A4 is the only road in and out, and it runs through Woolhampton village alongside the canal and the railway. There is literally no room to widen it. We need a new road and active travel crossing of the railway and canal to the south, secured as a planning obligation before occupation. The council already knows this: their own Statement of Common Ground with Network Rail acknowledges it.

On sewage, healthcare and schools

The Thatcham and Woolhampton sewage works were at capacity with 24-hour tankering last winter. GP surgeries are already full. Thatcham Medical Practice told the council in a formal submission that the proposed 450sqm satellite surgery won’t be financially viable. Kennet School is consulting on reducing its intake because local birth rates are falling; 2,500 new family homes will reverse that overnight. None of these should be afterthoughts.

On making it worth building

If we’re losing the countryside, we should at least get something genuinely good in return:

• A proper local centre, not three takeaways and a Co-op (we already have Bradley Moore Square for that)
• Future Homes Standard from the start
• Genuine green space (the developer says 50%; make it binding in absolute hectares, not as a vague percentage)
• No removal of ancient or veteran trees
• Streets designed for people, not just cars

The problem with the official consultation

The official feedback form at nethatcham.co.uk asked about architectural preferences and green space. It did not ask about:

• Whether there are enough jobs in Thatcham to support 2,500 new households
• Whether Thatcham station can handle a 25% increase in passengers
• Whether the A4 can take the traffic
• Whether the sewage works are at capacity (they are)
• Whether GP surgeries can genuinely support 25% growth - the form asks where we’d like a new surgery, but Thatcham Medical Practice told the council in a formal planning submission that the proposed satellite surgery won’t be financially viable and can’t meet NHS contract requirements
• Whether some or all of these should be hard requirements of the SPD, funded by the developers

A consultation that doesn’t ask about these things won’t produce responses about them. The summary report that goes to councillors will reflect the questions asked, not the full picture. That’s not a coincidence. I raised this directly with Cllr Gaines and Cllr Brooks, and asked that full written submissions are made available to elected members alongside the DevComms summary.

What comes next

Summer 2026 - Draft SPD consultation

The draft Supplementary Planning Document will be published for consultation. This is the most important stage. Unlike the early-stage consultation, the draft SPD will be a real document with specific wording. Residents, parish councils, statutory consultees and other interested parties can all submit formal representations on specific paragraphs. This site will be updated with guidance on how to engage effectively when the draft is published.

Late 2026 - Outline planning application

The developers have indicated they intend to submit an outline planning application by the end of 2026. The SPD must be adopted before this can happen. If the SPD is weak, the planning application stage is where things can go badly wrong - particularly through “planning by increment,” where individual phases are approved without the full infrastructure obligations being secured.

Keep an eye on this site for updates as the process develops.