PLANS for dozens of new flats and homes next to Bracknell’s former tip are set to be given the green light despite a number of worries being raised about potential contamination, a lack of affordable housing, road issues and more.
Developers are hoping to build 81 homes at Palm Hills estate on London Road following the demolition of two homes currently standing at the site.
IN FULL: Plans for 81 homes east of Bracknell submitted to the council
The site is just south of the council’s historic landfill site known locally as the ‘Old London Road Tip’, which is also subject to potential housing redevelopment.
Of the 81 homes, 49 would have three-bedrooms, 15 would have one bedroom and a handful of two-bedroom and four-bedroom homes make up the rest of the development.
However, none of these new homes would be made affordable as inspectors suggested the scheme would not be ‘financially viable’ with cheaper dwellings provided.
This comes down to the location of the site — according to the applicant, being based by the old tip means developers have to fork out extra cash to make the space suitable for homes.
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Therefore, they cannot afford to provide affordable housing on-site and council officers have no choice but to accept this under planning rules.
These same council planning experts also tackled other issues raised by a handful of objecting neighbours and Winkfield Parish Council in a report on the proposal.
Both residents and the authority suggested the proximity to the old tip could be dangerous as new homeowners could be exposed to contamination from the site.
But planning officers quashed this suggestion, indicating applicants have proven the site would be safe.
Other worries raised include how access onto London Road might become more dangerous, overdevelopment of the site and pressure on local roads and other infrastructure.
One resident wrote: “This application was evidently conceived in the Ministry of Dreams.
“A world in which the few people who travelled by car would be able to move freely along uncongested roads, while the majority enjoyed the comfort of being driven by bus or the lesser comfort of cycling or the healthy alternative of walking side-by-side with their buddies from the same estate.”
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Despite this, officers are recommending the scheme goes ahead as there would be “no adverse impacts on the character of the area”, there is “safe access to and from London Road”, and it would no result in “unacceptable” or “detrimental” impacts to local amenities.
Councillors will have the final say on these proposals at a Bracknell Forest planning meeting on Thursday, November 12.
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