Designs for dozens of houses to be built in Nine Mile Ride have been knocked back by Wokingham Borough Council.

Developers Elivia Homes won ‘outline’ planning permission for the proposed development of up to 32 homes behind 240 Nine Mile Ride in Finchampstead.

But the council has refused to approve a follow-up application detailing the design and layout of the scheme. It told developers the plans would not fit in with the surrounding woodland.

Designers Clifton Emery told the council the scheme would provide 26 homes rather than the full 32. They said it had been designed to ‘integrate’ with the surrounding woodland.

But Wokingham Borough planning officers disagreed, and rejected the plans on Thursday, June 20.

The council told developers: “By virtue of the poor layout design and the scale of the dwellings, taking account of the topography of the site and the loss of trees, the proposed scheme is an incongruous form of development which will erode the character and appearance of the local area.

“The level of proposed planting fails to enhance the proposed scheme and does not integrate well within the layout design which will create a more suburban appearance in a woodland setting.”

‘Outline’ planning permission for the scheme still exists. This was granted by the government’s planning inspector n December 2022. It means the development has been approved in principle, but the council still needs to approve the design and layout.