PLANS to build 55 homes in Shinfield are expected to take a big step forward this month, despite dozens of objections.

Developer Taylor Wimpey is planning to build the homes on open pasture land between Three Mile Cross and Spencers Wood. The site is just off Basingstoke Road.

They want to build a range of two-storey homes, from one-bedroom terrace houses to five-bedroom detached houses, and create 106 car parking spaces.

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The developers have promised that 19 of the new homes will be affordable and 1.56 hectares of Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG) will run through the centre of the site, with houses on either side.

Their application for outline planning permission was rejected by the council’s Planning Committee, but the decision was then overturned by the Planning Inspectorate in February 2019.

The developer has submitted a reserved matters application, which contains more detailed plans, and it is set to be approved at a Planning Committee meeting on October 14.

The application, which contains details on the layout, appearance, landscaping and scale of the development, has been recommended for approval.

Planning officers say 31 people who live near the site have objected, raising concerns about increased congestion, pollution and the impact on local wildlife.

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Some are also concerned about the impact on their villages, claiming the new homes will be built too close to theirs.

In a report, officers say the project would “deliver a high-quality development” that “would not have a significant detrimental impact” on the local area.

According to the report, some of the proposed homes do not meet the standards for internal space because they “do not appear to have the full additional built in storage space”.

But they also say “this deficit is negligible and is not considered to unduly impact the quality of living standards”.