A call to scrap plans for hundreds of new homes and start over has been made by campaigners in Crowthorne to the incoming council in Bracknell Forest.

The Crowthorne Village Action Group says Bracknell Forest Council’s emerging Local Plan, which sets out where new homes, businesses and facilities could be built over the next 15 years, threatens to “erode” green spaces.

But, the group says, the coming new administration at the council is a chance to stop the plan, which government inspectors branded “unsound” earlier this year.

The initial plan, published by the then Conservative-run council in 2021, hoped to build some 3,700 new homes in Bracknell Forest by 2037. It earmarked Jeallott’s Hill, The Peel Centre, Beaufort Park, and Derby Park in Crowthorne as sites for some major developments.

But after examining the plan, the government’s planning inspectorate said the location of many of the sites was “unjustified.” It called for the council to remove a number of these from its plan, including the 2,000-home ‘garden village’ at Jealott’s Hill.

Other modifications included scrapping smaller planned developments at Pope’s Meadow in Binfield and Lower Church Road in Sandhurst. These sites accounted for about 50 homes between them.

READ MORE: Bracknell move to axe 2000 home new village from local plan

But plans to build 217 homes at Derby Field in Crowthorne remain. The council’s plan is to build them on land currently used as playing fields by the private school Wellington College.

The council leadership agreed on Tuesday, March 21, to launch a consultation on the government’s proposed changes.

But the Conservatives were forced out of control of the council in earthquake local elections earlier this month—and a new Labour-led administration is set to be sworn in on Wednesday, May 24.

Crowthorne Village Action Group says this is an “opportunity for a fresh approach to planning sites for new homes.”

It points out that Bracknell Forest Council has consistently delivered more homes than the government’s housing delivery test says it required.

The test says the council needed to deliver 1,609 homes between 2018 and 2021. Instead, it delivered 3,487—that’s 1,878 more than required.

Andy Holley, chair of Crowthorne Village Action Group, said: “Bracknell Forest is characterised by a modern town centre surrounded by open countryside and individual villages, each with their own distinct character. Strategic green gaps have been identified to maintain that separation.

“The plan promoted by the old council proposed to erode these gaps and would lead to urban sprawl as Bracknell, Wokingham and the surrounding villages merge into one conglomeration.”

He added: “We know we need affordable houses for local residents but it needs to be the right homes in the right places.

“Now there is an opportunity for the new administration to halt the emerging local plan and start afresh.”