A CONTROVERSIAL 199-homes plan that will “kick-start” huge housing developments in South West Maidenhead is one step closer to fruition despite fears raised by councillors.
A majority of Conservative councillors voted to delegate Berkeley’s plan to build 22 one-beds, 35 two-beds, and eight three-bedroom flats, and eight two-beds, 68 three-beds, 43 four-beds, and 15 five-bedroom family homes on land south of Harvest Hill Road and Manor Lane in Maidenhead to the head of planning for approval subject to conditions.
The site is allocated within the adopted borough local plan (BLP), which earmarks multiple sites for housing to meet the borough’s future population and economic needs. This means it has been taken out of the Green Belt that would normally be protected from development.
Sixty of the homes are proposed to be affordable, which could be a mixture of affordable rent (21), social rent (27), and shared ownership (12).
READ MORE: South West Maidenhead: Plans for nearly 200 homes to be decided
The site also includes 353 car parking spaces, including eight visitor bays. Landscaping and planting more than 200 trees are also proposed as well as a biodiversity net gain of over 20 per cent.
But the developer was accused of ‘rushing through’ the application by a Maidenhead resident and councillors, who believe the infrastructure needs to be in place and further information on the development’s impact on protected bats and great crested newts needs to be provided before it is approved.
Speaking at the Maidenhead development management panel on Wednesday, February 15, councillor Leo Walters (Con: Bray) said the developer is “in hurry” to get the application through as those details are left out.
He added: “I do sincerely hope this committee will refuse this very large and not needed urban type development at the gateway of Maidenhead, and if we do that here, it will be a disaster and would be completely unnecessary on a former Green Belt site, which was taken out of the Green Belt quite wrongly.”
Cllr Gurch Singh (Lib Dem: St Mary’s) said this application will “totally transform the landscape of Maidenhead” and is “the single most important” plan he has dealt with because it will “kick start” the developments in South West Maidenhead, which is earmarked for up to 2,600 homes.
Like putting the cart before the horse, councillors were concerned the council should put in the infrastructure first before any new homes are built so that the roads and schools can cope with the increased pressure.
Members were specifically concerned that the developments in South West Maidenhead are coming in by “piecemeal” rather than as one whole site where plans for a new school at the golf course may not come into fruition due to viability; creating a huge demand for existing schools.
Head of planning Adrien Waite said: “We do know what infrastructure is needed and we do know how it is going to be funded and we do know that this development is going to make the appropriate contributions towards that.
“But you will never get the infrastructure or the funding for the infrastructure until such a point you decide to allow the permissions to secure that infrastructure by way of the legal agreement.
“It’s a chicken and egg situation. The legal agreement will secure the relevant funding.”
He also said it was always understood the South West Maidenhead development will begin by piecemeal and there is a financial contribution of £6.7m that includes provision for education, such as school placements.
Councillors were considering deferring the application until sufficient information is provided or outright refusing the application.
Mr Waite advised the panel not to do either as it would put the council in a “difficult position” as it will contradict plans and policies that are already in place on how the housing site will be delivered via the BLP and the site-specific supplementary planning document, which sets out what infrastructure needs to be delivered in South West Maidenhead and how.
Cllr David Coppinger (Con: Bray), who was the lead member for planning during the development of the BLP, spoke positively of the plans, believing it is “in line” with policies and will contribute to the borough’s need for family homes.
“This is a major step forward in providing affordable homes for our families,” he said.
READ MORE: First look at 2,000 homes plan at Maidenhead golf course
Although members spoke negatively of the plans, Mr Waite explained: “I haven’t heard any member come forward with anything about the development proposal before them here tonight that they think is unacceptable or warrant refusal of the scheme.
“Nobody has mentioned a single thing about the development you consider harmful or unacceptable and that you think it should be refused for. All of the discussion has been about concerns about potential uncertainties in the future to do with future developments.”
Councillors voted to delegate the plans to the head of planning to approve it subject to Berkeley signing off an agreement to supply a £6.7m financial contribution, delivering affordable homes and biodiversity net gain, further ecological surveys, and more.
Four Conservative councillors voted for officer recommendations, Cllr Walters abstained, and the three Liberal Democrat members were against.
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