Alok Sharma, the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Reading West, and James Cox , local campaigner and Norcot ward council candidate, have launched a survey together with local people in Norcot to find out what they really think about the Dee Road redevelopment plans.

Alok Sharma said: “We have received calls from local Norcot residents who do not feel they are being listened to by Labour-run Reading Borough Council and that the redevelopment plans are being imposed on the local community without a full and fair consultation process. This survey aims to pull together the views of local Norcot people and these will be presented to, and discussed with, Reading Borough Council and the developers to ensure that the views of residents and fully represented.”

James Cox added: “With valuable input from local people we have delivered surveys to many hundreds of homes. Residents will now have the opportunity to have their views very clearly known regarding the redevelopment.”

Local Norcot resident Eileen Green, who lives on the Dee Road Estate, said: “We finally have a proper opportunity to make our views known regarding the development plans. Residents are concerned about many aspects of the plans including the proposed demolition of their garages, which will lead to higher insurance premiums and fewer car parking spaces once the new homes are built. A new through-road is planned which could become a rat-run and a danger for young children. Existing homes for the elderly, some of whom have lived there for 30 years, could be demolished seeing them re-housed in flats mixed with young families, which would not be a satisfactory solution. I urge all local people in Norcot who have received the survey to fill it in and return it.”