STRONGLY opposed outline plans to build 32 homes in Wraysbury are set to be refused by councillors on the Windsor & Ascot planning panel.
The applicants OSB Ltd want to build 14 affordable retirement homes, four detached, and 14 semi-detached properties along with a business/community hub and children’s play area on 19 Old Ferry Drive and its greenbelt land.
According to the design and access statement, the land is unused with rusted vehicles, caravans, and shipping containers.
Since the plans were submitted this July, nearly 60 residents and community groups have lodged objections, slamming the plans as “ill-conceived” and “wrong on various levels”.
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Planning officers also shared the locals’ concerns, fearing the development won’t be safe in the event of a flood, the scheme’s benefits don’t outweigh the harm on the greenbelt, the site would be ‘inaccessible’ for future residents, and its layout is “poorly laid out”.
There is also no assessment the development could have on the nearby grade II* listed King Johns Hunting Lodge.
Layout where the homes, hub, and play area will be placed if approved
One resident wrote: “The threat from flooding continues and the numerous objections submitted by local residents highlights their real concerns about this issue and the detrimental impact this development will have on functional flood plain land.
“During the 2014 flood event, we had local residents’ cars and boats parked in our driveway and garden as the floodwaters crept further and further down the length of Old Ferry Drive and up from Kingswood Creek. The road is the ONLY escape route for residents.”
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But the applicants’ argue additional traffic coming to and from the site will be ‘minimal. They also said the plans will improve the character of the area and will make use of land that is making a ‘negative’ contribution to the area.
They also boasted the development will enhance biodiversity by introducing indigenous plants and ‘possibly retaining’ mature trees on the site’s boundary.
Members on the Windsor & Ascot development management panel will convene on Wednesday, November 3, and are recommended to refuse the plans.
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