Activists are ‘quietly confident’ their campaign to end a plan to build 2,000 homes and a science park will succeed.
The Save Jealott’s Hill campaign has opposed the prospect of thousands of homes, a new community and a science park at Jealott’s Hill in Warfield since they were proposed in 2019.
The campaign group is now hopeful that the 2,000 home project will be disallowed following the end of a public consultation held by Bracknell Forest Council.
Patrick Kennedy, chairman of the Save Jealott’s Hill campaign, said: “The campaign together with our supporters and allies have submitted strong and comprehensive objections to the proposal for Jealott’s Hill. We have amazing support locally and nationally and we are quietly confident that we can defeat these proposals.
“Of course, it is not a foregone conclusion by any means and we will continue to fundraise actively in the community so we can present a top class case at the Examination when it comes. Currently we are assembling a team of experts under our legal advisers Dentons Solicitors of London who will represent us and present the arguments against the plan.
“We have funds in place to meet around half what we believe will be needed to cover legal, consultant and expert witness fees so there can be no let up in fundraising.”
READ MORE: Local plan moves forward despite rebellion from Tory group over Jealott's Hill plan
His comments come following the end of a public consultation into the Emerging Bracknell Forest Local Plan, which ended on Monday, May 17.
The campaigners were successfully able to push Bracknell Forest Council into extending the deadline for comments after they highlighted difficulties in submitting their responses.
Fellow Save Jealott’s Hill campaigner Richard Stok said he had experienced broken links on the consultation website and problems filling in e-signatures.
The council extended the deadline and expanded the ways members of the public could comment.
Andrew Hunter, Executive Director for Place, Planning and Regeneration at the council said: “The Local Plan consultation closed on Monday, May 17. The next step is for the council to summarise all comments received on the plan, and submit this to the Planning Inspectorate for an independent review. All comments from groups and individuals will be forwarded to the Inspectorate so that they can be considered as part of that process.”
At the end of the examination the Inspector will send a report back to Bracknell Forest Council recommending whether or not it can adopt the plan. In most cases changes are recommended in order for the plan to be adopted, which are referred to as ‘main modifications’.
There is a long term plan to build a science park and a 2,000 home ‘garden village’, called the Jealott’s Hill development. In order for the development to commence, the land in the area must be redesignated from Green Belt land to land for permitted development in the Emerging Bracknell Forest Local Plan. If the land remains as designated Green Belt, the 2,000 home plan would be effectively be disallowed, as building on Green Belt land can only be approved under ‘very special circumstances’.
READ MORE: Save Jealott's Hill group gives verdict on 2,000 Warfield homes plan
The stakeholders for the development are investment firm CEG, housebuilders Taylor Wimpey and Syngenta, which currently has a site at Jealott’s Hill which it uses as an International Research centre. The project’s website states the development will secure the 850 jobs currently at Jealott’s Hill, “and create thousands more, providing a strategic focus for housing and business growth in the Borough.”
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