Neighbours take aim at 226 home plan on Bracknell outskirts

Last year, Southern Housing Group submitted a plan to build 226 homes at Beaufort Park, which is located off Nine Mile Ride between Bracknell and Crowthorne.

The developers have said up to 50 per cent (113) of the homes they build will be affordable, creating a sustainable new community that will fit into the landscape of the area.

But the plan has come under fire from the Crowthorne Village Action Group (CVAG), which has raised concerns about deforestation, increased traffic and sustainability.

Andy Holley, the chairman of CVAG said: “ If you think the roads around here are getting more and more crowded, you are quite right as Bracknell Forest Council seem determined to permit the building of more houses than are required.”

READ MORE: Plan to replace Beaufort Park offices with 68 homes given go ahead despite disapproval

Once completed, the development would have 499 car parking spaces for residents and 46 spaces reserved for visitors.

Southern Housing Group has stated its transport consultant is working with council officers to make sure the development fits into the council’s long-term plans and road investment for the area.

CVAG also argued that Beaufort Park is located in the strategic gap between Bracknell and Crowthorne, and would create ‘urban sprawl’, eventually turning the area into one big settlement.

Furthermore, there is concern about the loss of green space.

Mr Holley said: “Beaufort Park is a prime example of the kind of development Bracknell does not need.

"It is woodland, isolated from facilities and just not sustainable development. We all recognise that new development is important, especially affordable homes, however this is not the right place for it.”

However, Southern Housing Group has argued that the trees at Beaufort Park are part of a former a  commercial timber plantation which has ‘a limited vareity of species’ – and that its plan involves planting a much wider amount of tree species.

On the issue of ‘urban sprawl’, the developers have stated that the site has been earmarked for development in the Bracknell Forest Local Plan, therefore fears over this ‘sprawl’ are not shared by planners at the council.

The campaign has been keen to highlight that the developers have pre-empted the Local Plan by submitting its application to build the 226 homes in October last year.

Beaufort Park Bracknell - earmarked for homes in the Emerging Bracknell Forest Plan, policy LP 5. Credit: Bracknell Forest Council

CVAG stated that it will oppose the Beaufort Park plan at every stage despite their objections ‘being ignored’ by council planners.

Mr Holley said: “The external examination of the local plan is the first time the plan will be reviewed by an independent external expert and we look forward to putting our case to them.

“We hope that planners at Bracknell Forest Council are not tempted to circumvent the democratic process by approving this application in advance of the examination.”

READ MORE: Beaufort Park, The Peel Centre and other sites set for hundreds of homes in Bracknell Local Plan 

For their part, Jeremy Barkway, Partnerships Manager at Southern Housing Group, said: “We are delighted at the constructive feedback we have received from the public and we are working closely with the Council’s senior planning officers to ensure that refinements align with the concerns of the public and the policies of the authority.”

To view the plan for yourself, type in reference 21/00986/FUL into the council’s planning portal: https://planapp.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/online-applications/

The Bracknell Forest Local Plan has been submitted to the Government planning inspectorate, with the appointed inspectors raising their initial questions to Bracknell Forest Council about the plan.