Two homes are set to be completely demolished if plans for a major new road are approved in WOKINGHAM.

76A and 76B Finchampstead Road have both been earmarked for demolition as part of Wokingham Borough Council’s plans to build the South Wokingham Distributor Road.

Both of the homes are two-storey houses a stones throw away from the Tesco Superstore.

READ MORE: Row over design of new Wokingham road as big decision looms

The council has now revealed the current status of the homes, and that it purchased them both in anticipation of their demolition.

A spokeswoman said: “The council’s highway department has purchased both 76A and 76B Finchampstead Road to enable the delivery of a major highway project, which was secured within the council’s adopted core strategy – following their purchase both properties were vacated.

“As there is a period of time between the property sales going through and the road project commencing, it was considered that rather than let the houses fall into disrepair and be boarded up, that they would be made available on a short term provision to the council’s housing department.

“The council’s housing department are therefore using them for this period of time to house residents, which the occupants are aware of. These occupants would be relocated by the council’s housing department at a point when the road project is due to commence.”

According to the website The Move Market, which uses Her Majesty’s Land Registry sales data, 76A was last sold for £525,000 in March 2020. Meanwhile, 76B Finchampstead Road allegedly sold for £425,000 in September 2019. 

READ MORE: Wokingham: plan for 1,600 homes and road set for approval

The South Wokingham Distributor Road is part of the wider South Wokingham Major Development, which would see over 1,600 homes built south of the Reading to Waterloo railway track for the first time.

These new homes would be linked to the rest of Wokingham by the new road.  76A and 76B Finchampstead Road would be flattened so the South Wokingham Distributor Road can be linked up to the Tesco Superstore and the Mulbery Business Park and Finchampstead Road.

Bracknell News: The South Wokingham Distributor Road masterplan. The sections in green and blue are the subject of recent planning applications. Credit: Wokingham Borough Council

The plan to demolish the homes, build the South Wokingham Distributor Road, and obtain outline permission for a total of 1,649 homes are all set to be approved at Wokingham Borough Council’s planning committee meeting at 7pm tonight (Tuesday, May 18).

The committee is made up of five Conservatives, three Liberal Democrats, one Labour councillor and one Independent councillor.

You can view plans for the  for the road by entering reference 192928 into Wokingham’s planning portal: https://planning.wokingham.gov.uk/FastWebPL/welcome.asp .