Up to 2,500 new homes are planned for the north east edge of town. A 25% increase in population, on beautiful countryside many of us walk across every week. The decision has been made. The legal challenges are gone. The development is happening.

I’m not happy about it. 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.

This website exists to put as much information as possible into the public domain - data, analysis, planning documents and commentary - to help everyone understand what’s being proposed and how to influence it. The goal is to make sure the development improves Thatcham rather than just expanding it: real jobs, proper infrastructure, genuine green space, and homes worth living in.

The developers, the council and their consultants have been working on this for years. The developers who are set to profit from the project are funding much of the planning process itself. This site is an attempt to even things up a bit.