A DISUSED garden centre is set to be bulldozed to make way for 20 new homes — despite this plan going against the council’s building rules.

The former Wyevale Garden Centre on Forest Road, in Binfield, could soon be developed after planning bosses recommended the homes proposal is given the go-ahead.

READ MORE: Why neighbours are against this plan for 20 homes in Binfield

This recommendation comes despite officers noting the site is in the countryside beyond any land designated for housing.

One resident also noted this in their objection to the proposal, which read: “There are good reasons that the current application should be refused: it is located outside the settlement, is an isolated site and has poor links to Binfield village centre; it is the absolute maximum distance considered ‘walkable’ to the nearest shop and therefore future residents will rely on car transport to access most essential services.”

Binfield Parish Council and another resident also highlighted this issue in their objections too, but Bracknell Forest Council (BFC) planning officers said the designs are okay as this land has already been developed.

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A similar plan for 29 homes at the same site was refused in May 2019 because these houses would have had a greater impact on the countryside, but the new designs are considered to be acceptable.

More than 240 locals objected to the original housing plans but this proposal received just two.

The other Binfield resident who objected to the new plan wrote: “To build along the whole of Tilehurst Lane with little consideration for village boundaries and [the] green belt, plus the growing danger of flooding, there must be a line drawn — or is there a plan to create the “city of Bracknell”?

Applicant Spitfire Bespoke Homes appealed BFC’s refusal of the original application at the start of the year but a decision has not yet been made due to delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

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An agent for the developers commented on the new plans: “This is the redevelopment of a vacant brownfield site in a sustainable location at a relatively low density and what is proposed will be a significant improvement on what is currently on site.”

The new homes would all be three and four bedrooms but none of them would be made affordable.

Officers have recommended the plans but the final verdict will come down to councillors sitting on BFC’s planning committee at a virtual meeting on Thursday, June 18.