Jealott's Hill 4,000 homes plan - new responses revealed

In September last year, it was revealed more than 200 hectares of land could be developed at the home of multi-national tech company Syngenta on Jealott’s Hill.

READ MORE: Plans for 4,000 homes in Warfield laid bare

1,400 of the new homes would be made affordable and would be joined by a science park for Syngenta, two new primary schools, a new secondary school, recreational space, a community hub, a healthcare facility and more.

Planning chiefs at Bracknell Forest Council say the development will support economic development and support jobs in the borough while boosting housing supply and providing infrastructure in the area.

But as the News has already revealed with the results of a consultation on Bracknell Forest Council’s ‘revised growth strategy’, only a tiny fraction of residents are in favour of the plan.

READ MORE: Residents' responses to Jealott's Hill 4,000 homes plan

The response of neighbouring authority the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead was also unveiled by the News.

Here’s what a range of other bodies and organisations had to say about the plans.

The Crown Estate

Bosses at The Crown Estate, which is a collection of lands and holdings in the United Kingdom belonging to the British monarch as a corporation, claimed it was “debatable” whether exceptional circumstances exist to justify building on the green belt.

Their response read: “It is noted that the council has identified sufficient land to accommodate local housing need up to 2036 without requiring development of Green Belt land, and therefore there is no justification for the release of Green Belt land in the BFLP [Bracknell Forest Local Plan] and no ‘identified need for development’ on Green Belt land on this basis.

READ MORE: RBWM's response to controversial Jealott's Hill plan

“Notwithstanding this, it is not clear that the council has fully examined other reasonable options before concluding that exceptional circumstances exist.

“It is considered that exceptional circumstances for the release and allocation of Jealott’s Hill have not been fully evidenced and justified, as required [...], and therefore the approach is unsound [...].”

Historic England

A body of the government, Historic England is tasked with protecting the historic environment of the country.

Upon being asked to respond to the Jealott’s Hill plan, which is shorthanded as LP7, those in charge at HE had this to say: “While some references to the historic environment have been taken through to policy LP7 and associated profile, the detail is less than the recommendation in the LUC [Land Use Consultants] report.

“We also agree that a master planning approach is needed for these sites, particularly given their size.

READ MORE: Parish councils' responses to Jealott's Hill plan

“It is of high importance that the work to fully understand the historic environment is done ahead of the master planning work, so that the master planning work can respond to this evidence.

“The historic environment can be an important part of the design of new places, helping to provide distinctiveness and character.”

British Horse Society

The equine-based charity “a strong voice for horses and people and which spreads awareness through support, training and education."

According to the Society, the total number of horses registered to owners within Bracknell Forest is 1,348.

With this in mind, the Society had a lot to say about the Jealott’s Hill plans, ultimately objecting to the proposal.

They described the inclusion of online one cycleway for the re-development as “woefully inadequate” before, adding: “The increased traffic from an additional 4,000 homes added from the Syngenta Garden Village at Jealott's Hill will make riding a horse or a bicycle on the roads significantly more unpleasant and more dangerous than it is currently.

READ MORE: Petition against plan for 4,000 homes at Jealott's Hill

“You are in a unique position with the power to provide Bridleways/multi-user routes for future generations to enjoy. I urge you to reconsider your design and add these routes.”

Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP)

The LEP’s aim is to bring together business, the public sector, and the community to support the local economy.

Their response to the Jealott’s Hill proposal was more supportive than those given above.

LEP bosses voiced their backing for:

• The creation of a new Science and Innovation Park

• The inclusion of around 1,400 affordable homes from the 4,000 planned

• The “safeguarding” of 850 Syngenta jobs and the creation of 2,000 more

• The building of three new primary schools and a secondary school

They wrote: “Thames Valley Berkshire is an economic powerhouse of enormous importance to the UK.

“Its diverse mix of sector clusters and highly skilled workforce provide opportunities for cross-sector collaboration and knowledge transfer.

READ MORE: Campaign launched to 'save Jealott's Hill'

“The planned new development at Jeallot’s Hill would help to deliver a critical mass of expertise and facilities to foster collaboration across agri-tech, life sciences, environmental management, clean energy, digital and materials science putting Jealott’s Hill at the forefront of new knowledge and skills resulting in exportable products and technologies.”

Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce

Like with the LEP, the Chamber’s goal is to support business across its patch.

And as with the LEP, the Chamber is supportive of the Jealott’s Hill designs.

Bosses at the Chamber are behind the aim to retain and create jobs, generate business rates of “more than £50 million”, providing affordable housing and more.

READ MORE: Opposition to plans for 4,000 homes at Jealott's Hill

Their response says: “As a strategic site and facility of national and international importance, the research work taking place at Jealott’s Hill is world leading and is developing future technology to feed a growing population, more efficiently and in an environmentally friendly way.”

Bracknell and Wokingham College

Based on Church Road in Bracknell, the college is part of a large Further Education college group which schools across the South East.

Leaders of the group are also lending their backing to the Jealott’s Hill proposal as their colleges already work with Syngenta in a “variety of ways” and are eager to support new initiatives with the multi-national company.

READ MORE: Bracknell Forest local plan could be delayed due to coronavirus impact

Going forward, the college is designing a new science lab with the help of Syngenta which “ensures the facility we build meets the current and future needs of the science sector”.

Other opportunities college bosses are hopeful of include:

• Greater opportunities for work experience for students

• More apprenticeships

• Additional career routes in construction and the STEM sector

Their response reads: “The business [Synenta] does to support the community, schools, colleges, and university graduates is very important to the area.

“These activities inspire young people to choose science-based careers, provides opportunities for them to understand the sector, and also provides employment opportunities into careers with prospects.

“We would be concerned for the local economy and the prospects of our students if Syngenta were unable to meet the future needs of the business locally, and decided to move elsewhere to an area where they could deliver a project such as this.”