AS our local economy continues to grow, business confidence expands and unemployment falls, it is not surprising more people are looking to Reading to work and bring up their families.

But of course this economic success comes at the cost of added pressure on housing needs and public services.

I agree we need more sustainable development. The Government has introduced an excellent incentive for local authorities to accept new developments and bring empty homes back into use, through the New Homes Bonus.

Under this scheme, Reading Borough Council has been awarded £6,875,116 since 2011 for increasing the number of available homes by 1,855 and West Berkshire Council has received £5,082,245 for a net increase of 1,297 homes.

But some sites are clearly not suitable for development and we have to balance the need for extra housing against the needs of local people and the extra pressure this puts on schools, doctors’ surgeries and local roads.

One site where the downsides of developing the area outweigh the benefits is on Pincents Hill, a valuable green space and strategic gap, which separates Tilehurst, Calcot and Theale.

Between 2008 and 2011, together with residents, the Save Calcot Action Group, and councillors, I fought to protect Pincents Hill from plans to build 750 homes and various commercial units. Thankfully, in 2011 Eric Pickles, the Secretary of State, dismissed developer Blue Living’s appeal.

In response to developers indicating a wish to now build between 225 and 300 homes on the site I have carried out a survey, which was delivered to around 3,000 homes in June, to gauge current public opinion about development on Pincents Hill.

So far, 725 households have replied and 90 per cent of survey respondents indicated that they did not consider the Pincents Hill site suitable for any development at all.

Survey replies are still coming in, but the responses just show how much people care about this site.

The replies reveal a host of legitimate concerns about traffic, pressures on schools and doctors’ surgeries, as well as the impact it would have on wildlife and the character of the area.

I will be publishing the full findings of the survey replies shortly but my constituents have made it clear once again that they believe Pincents Hill is completely unsuitable for development.

I will therefore be vigorously making that case to West Berkshire Council as they consult on possible future housing sites.