17 October 2012
Last updated at 22:25 GMT

Thames Water said it had listened to concerns and changed its plans

Plans to create 84 homes on a disused reservoir site in Reading have been given council approval.

Thames Water had initially planned to build 96 homes at the Bath Road site but its proposals were rejected.

Reading Borough Council’s planning committee approved the revised scheme, but asked for a separate report on the demolition of the concrete reservoirs.

Local campaigners had criticised the development’s level of green space.

Committee chairman Pete Ruhemann said it appreciated the “major concerns of residents” over the scale of the demolition process and said it wanted further discussions with the developers over the precautions being taken.

Under the plans, Thames Water intends to build 68 homes on the reservoir land, extend the pump house and grade II listed water tower to create 10 homes and convert the water tower into six apartments.

The grade II listed water tower would be turned into six apartments under the proposals

Recommendations put to councillors included conditions to include 15 units of affordable housing and contributions of £207,000 towards transport infrastructure and £443,332 towards primary and secondary school provision.

The Save the Bath Road Reservoir Group had campaigned to get the plans reduced to nearer 50 homes, citing concerns about the density of the houses and loss of green space.

Campaigner Graham Griffiths said: “This is an area that is deficient in open space. We think that more open space should have been included.

“Although it’s considered a brown-field site, it’s been an overgrown green space for years.”

He said the committee decision was “disappointing but not unexpected”.