Henley Population to Exceed 1 Million by 2030
12th March 2018
As part of the governments reorienting the UK economy away from Europe and towards the Asia and the Far East for the post-Brexit Utopia, current housing allocations are to be revised to accommodate the influx of talented workers from around the world that the inevitable economic boom will attract.
Areas around London, including South Oxfordshire, are expected to accommodate the majority of new arrivals and Henley’s allocation has been set at 500,000 new homes.
Supporters of the scheme point to the fact that Henley’s Town Centre economy would receive a considerable economic boost from the 8,000% increase in population. “By 2030, Henley’s local economy could sustain, eight or possibly even nine-hundred Coffee Shops and up to 250 kebab vans! We are living in very exciting times”.
Mr Harold William Charlton-Rotherfield, chairman of the Shiplake Nimby Oppositional Organisational Trust, who are fighting Shiplake’s allocation of 10 affordable homes, was less enthusiastic: “Shiplake is just not a suitable location for any new homes at all. Henley, Harpsden, Wargrave, Caversham, Sonning, Sonning Common and Binfield Heath are all crying out for thousands of new homes, and they should have them, providing adequate measures are taken to keep all that extra traffic away from Shiplake”.
Asked where these new homes would be situated, local property developer Bob Sharky told Henley Planet: “Modern construction materials mean that land once thought of as useless for anything more than a meeting place for teenage potheads, is now ripe for development. The Red Lion lawn, for example, could accommodate up to 200 studio apartments, a gym and a rooftop bar”.
Cllr Stephanie Loveshack said: “We have always been open to new housing providing there is adequate investment in local infrastructure and that 40% of the houses are affordable to local people.”
“Every house in Shiplake is affordable to someone.” added Mr Harold William Charlton-Rotherfield for no apparent reason.
