Plans to turn the vacant former site of a pre-school in Warfield have been refused.

The Bracknell Road site of Meadowbrook Montessori School in rural Warfield permanently closed six years ago.

Developer Quentin Trivior wanted to turn the office buildings on this site into six houses.

The buildings would be turned into a mixture of one, two and three bedroomed homes. Only internal works would be done to the buildings.

But planning officers at Bracknell Forest Council deemed the site unfit for residents.

In its decision notice, the council said that not all of the rooms in buildings will get ‘adequate natural light’.

It also said that information provided on access and parking was ‘insufficient’, meaning it could not approve the plans.

Highways experts noted that the access for cars would be too small for emergency vehicles.

There would also not be any outdoor lighting for pedestrians outside of their homes, the consultee warned.

The site of the school is also within a flood zone, according to a planning officer report.

Developers argued that potential future occupants would benefit from vehicle and pedestrian access on Bracknell Road.

A total of 12 parking spaces would be provided – two per house – along with 14 cycle spaces.

Meadowbrook Montessori School remains open at Malt Hill, Warfield, after closing temporarily in 2023.

It teaches children in the ‘Montessori method’ which focuses on child interest rather than a uniform teaching model.

Termly fees are set between £3,482 and £3,947 for children at the existing site at Malt Hill.