Clash looms over Berkshire village plan for Co-op and flats

A car trader has stood at the junction of Kings Road and the High Street in Sunninghill for decades.

It was previously occupied by a business called Halfpenny’s Garage, until it was taken over by the Alexander David Motor Company in the 2000s.

But the current trader RSG Motor Group could be at risk as the owner of the site has applied to demolish the sales suite and replace it with 14 apartments and a store.

Designs show the car sales suite replaced with one new three-storey building containing a store and apartments. The site would provide 23 parking spaces for the flats and 11 for the store.

The plan to replace the car garage in Sunninghill High Street. A retail store provided in the development is set to become a Coop, if it is approved. Credit: Ascot Design

Of the 14 apartments provided, 10 would be two-bed, three would have three bedrooms, with a single one-bed flat located on the first floor.

These plans were submitted to the planning authority, the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead back in 2022.

The project has proven controversial, as the council’s planning department refused it.

Planning officer Jeffrey Ng judged that it would be ‘harmful’ to the street scene of the High Street, and would have an adverse impact on traffic in the village.

Furthermore, Mr Ng argued the development team’s viability report to justify not providing affordable housing had not been independently verified, and

The owner of the site subsequently launched an appeal against that decision to the government’s planning inspectorate in October last year.

READ MORE: Plan to knock down bungalow vacant for 10 years for six homes quashed

The latest news from the site is that the Co-op is hoping to take over the store. The company has applied to sell alcohol from 6am to 11pm each day.

The Co-op has submitted this application to the Royal Borough Council’s licensing department.

You can view and comment on the application by typing reference 107233/LAPL01 into the Royal Borough’s licensing portal.

The plan to replace the car garage in Sunninghill High Street. The new building would contain a store, set to be taken over by the Co-op and 14 flats. Credit: Ascot Design

For the Co-op to take over the store, the planning appeal needs to be determined.

However, the appeal is facing a delay. According to the council’s principal planner Gavin Forrest, a document required has not been supplied by the developer’s planning agents yet.

It is understood that the planning agent has four weeks to submit the relevant documentation, ending on Wednesday, April 24.

That is also the date when the statutory consultation into the Co-op’s licensing application ends.

A staff member at RSG Motor Group confirmed that the business is still open and that staff are aware of the Co-op’s plan for the site.