The proposed redevelopment of the former Bracknell Town FC ground will again go before the planning committee tomorrow evening.
The application was unexpectedly refused by the council in March amid concerns relating to parking provisions, drainage, the lack of a tree plan and the consequential loss of a stadium - which was subsequently appealed.
The plan would have seen the current dwelling and sports building on Larges Lane demolished and replaced by 126 apartments and 167 parking spaces.
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Ahead of the meeting, Bracknell Town FC’s chairman and CEO, Kayne Steinborn-Busse, has sought to address the issues raised previously in the hope of achieving a more positive outcome.
Mr Steinborn-Busse said: “Following the March committee meeting they made a number of recommendations. One was to reduce the number of dwellings, so we lowered the numbers to 117 which has brought the parking ratio up.
“We also made the site 100% electrical vehicle (EV) compliant so every space could be serviced with EV charge points.”
Mr Steinborn-Busse noted there had been “some confusion” regarding the council’s claim that the borough would lose a stadium, stating, “we actually left the ground at Larges Lane a year ago, so there is no loss.”
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“We have satisfied Sport England (a non-departmental public body responsible for growing and developing grassroots sport) that we have improved sports provisions in the borough,” he said.
Since the previous committee, Thames Water has also confirmed that there is capacity within Larges Lane for the development and tree plans have been included in an amended scheme.
Objections had previously been raised by local residents groups who were worried about the level of construction and the construction hours at the site. However, Mr Steinborn-Busse claims these objections have now been withdrawn.
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“It’s been really hard to meet with them over the last two years and have face to face consultations, but we have since met with the resident’s groups and listened to their concerns,” he said.
“We have agreed a set of conditions that can be secured by legal agreement around the construction hours to be from 8am to 16:30pm Monday to Friday and no building compounds situated near to houses.”
Mr Steinborn-Busse spoke to The News ahead of tomorrow’s planning meeting, at which a final decision will be made.
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“We hope that we have done enough to get council support. It’s massive [for the future of the football club],” he said.
“We really needed to have a decision a year ago, so we have been holding off finishing two key projects – the laying of the 3G pitch at Bottom Meadow and finishing the pavilion at the new site at Larges Lane.
“The community partners within our project have grown massively and they will all benefit. It’s not just about building flats, the flats enable us to build and finish what we started. A further delay now would kill us.”
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