Binfield garden centre homes plans approved by council

Wyevale Garden Centre, off Forest Road, will make way for the three and four-bedroom houses despite concern about the proposals from neighbours and councillors.

READ MORE: Why residents are opposing plans for 20 homes at former garden centre

Issues raised by Bracknell Forest Council’s planning committee included:

• The area being outside land designated for housebuilding

• Zero affordable housing, which was deemed acceptable because the site is vacant

• The tree officer’s recommendation to REFUSE the application on the basis there was not enough growing space for several trees on the land

• Developers Spitfire Homes not having to contribute any community levy funds as the site because the existing buildings have been in ‘continuous lawful use’

Binfield-with-Warfield councillor Ankur Bhandari said: “In Binfield, we have seen a lot of these examples [of developments] happening outside settlement boundaries and this is yet another example.

“It is outside the settlement boundary, it is not part of the local plan.

“We have the concerns of the tree officer, there is an impact to vegetation on the area, and one of the big points is there is no affordable housing.

“From my point of view, it is a development we don’t actually need in the area.

READ MORE: Garden centre homes will provide no affordable housing

“It does not provide any benefit.”

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.

Before the planning committee met last night, officers had recommended the new plans were approved as the issues with the application — which includes fewer homes as well as a new central communal space — were outweighed by the ‘material consideration’ of re-using previously developed land to build new homes.

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.

This means the 29-home plan could still go ahead if the Planning Inspectorate says yes to the proposal.

Councillor Michael Brossard welcomed the new plan.

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He said: “I think this is a much more sympathetic proposal with the reduction in the number of houses.

“What I like about it is the way the development has been set back from the road which actually provides vegetation at the front and will provide some screening.

“The other thing I think is very positive is the central communal area, which wasn’t in the previous plan and I think this will actually be an asset to the development and I am very much in favour of it.”

Councillor Brossard was one of 11 planning committee members to vote in favour of the plans, with seven others voting against them.

The committee met on Thursday, June 18.