RESIDENTS are gearing up for another planning battle after developers appealed against the council’s decision to throw out a proposal to build a care home in Binfield.

Plans to replace a cottage with a 12-room NHS mental health care home on London Road were refused in November when Bracknell Forest Council (BFC) bosses laid out concerns over its size and character, its lack of access for pedestrians and cyclists and its impact on a special protection area.

Residents have already strongly opposed the designs once before with BFC receiving 35 objections from neighbours before its committee rejected the proposal last year.

READ MORE: Residents fear the worst over Binfield care home plans

One wrote: “If the planning application was successful I would plan to sell my property and move elsewhere.”

Now neighbours are set to renew their opposition after applicants CHOICE Ltd. appealed to the Planning Inspectorate to overturn BFC’s decision and approve the care home plans.

Residents have until Tuesday, July 9, to voice their views on the plans before the Inspectorate makes a decision.

Binfield resident Nigel Luker has been dropping leaflets through neighbour’s letterboxes in order to drum up opposition to the appeal, urging them to submit their concerns to the Inspectorate.

The leaflet reminds recipients why BFC refused the application last year and lays out other suggestions as to why the plans should not go ahead.

These include additional traffic generated by the new facility, the suitability of a mental health care home located next to a busy main road, the ‘24-hour’ operations of the site and more.

READ ALSO: Plans for 53 homes in Binfield chucked out by council

Appealing to residents, Mr Luker’s leaflet concludes: “This development will severely impact the surrounding area in numerous ways, which may not be apparent at this time and will not bring any benefit to the area.”

Original plans showed the care home would house mental-health patients and would have eight car parking spaces, as well as a kitchen and dining room, communal lounges, laundry, office, meeting room and toilet on the ground floor.

Residents who wrote to the council last year were concerned with potential anti-social behaviour from the home’s patients, but an NHS report stated: “Any person who is not considered to be safe to live in a community setting would not be referred to (the site) at this stage.”

The proposed site is located opposite a care home for the elderly and for dementia sufferers.

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Residents wanting to send their concerns to the Planning Inspectorate can do so here: