A controversial plan to add 35 apartments to the L’avenir building in Bracknell has been delayed.

The owners of L’avenir want to add 35 apartments and two floors to the three storey building.

L’avenir was built 1988 and used to be an office block, but was converted into a residential use with 69 flats in 2017.

If approved, 35 one and two bedroom apartments would have been added through a roof extension which would bring the total number of flats to 104 and make the building five storeys tall.

Yet the developer’s hopes were scuppered as Bracknell Forest Council’s planning committee chose to defer their decision.

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The plan has proven controversial, as it received 44 objections from neighbours and current residents of L’avenir.

A similar plan to add 45 apartments to L’avenir was ultimately rejected in August 2019, and this rejection was upheld on appeal last year.

The first apartments were occupied in the building in August 2020.

In a withering attack, Deborah Harvey called the plan a “monstrous extension” which would tower over the homes where she lives in Primrose Walk, which is made up of two-storey houses.

Speaking at the meeting, Deborah Harvey said: “The developer wants to maximise profit to the detriment of local people, with no additional social housing whatsoever, this has not changed since the appeal. 69 flats are enough.

“There are numerous empty flats at L’avenir. The estate agents are unable to sell them, and this is before the proposed additional 35. The new tenants at L’avenir are on long term rental contracts, and did not sign up for this disruption and noise, which highlights the developer’s arrogance to the existing tenants.

“This is morally wrong for the local people. Bracknell council, please assist your local residents and vote refuse!”

Neighbours also objected to the increase of apartments due to fears over car parking spilling over to neighbouring streets.

However, the building has above the parking requirement. While Bracknell Forest Council requires 150 parking spaces at a development such as this, L’avenir has a total of 167 spaces, 86 of which are in the basement and 81 are on the ground level.

PIC

Tony Allan, speaking on behalf of the developer, reminded the committee that the plan is subject to ‘permitted development’.

Permitted development is a planning loophole which allows offices to be converted into homes without the need to go through typical planning processes which involve officers and councillors getting to judge the plans.

Mr Allan said: “The most fundamental planning issue here to understand is what is granted by the Government through the General Permitted Development Order, regardless of any previous planning history on the site, including the appeal decision.

“Effectively what the order grants is an outline planning permission, in this case, two extra floors of flats. On that basis, the principle of such a development, including its height and scale, are not matters for consideration by the planning authority.”

However, while the principle of the 35 apartments cannot be rejected, the developers must demonstrate how they will mitigate the impact of their proposals on residents and those who live in the building already.

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Members of the planning committee felt not enough evidence of mitigation had been proved, so the prior approval of the plan was unanimously deferred.

The motion to defer was introduced by Councillor Colin Dudley, the chairman of the committee (Conservative, Crown Wood).

You can observe the extension plan for L’avenir by putting reference 21/00361/PAR into Bracknell Forest Council’s planning portal here: https://planapp.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/online-applications/ .

The developers must now submit more evidence demonstrating how the impact of the floor increase will be mitigated.