A question has been shut down over hundreds of new homes that will be built on a nature reserve near the border with Bracknell Forest.

Recently, Bracknell Forest Council’s decision-making body has discussed the prospect of 500 homes being built near the Shepherd Meadows nature reserve.

Shepherd Meadows is a 100-acre wetland and woodland area in the Blackwater Valley, in walking distance for many in Sandhurst.

The meadows sit in the tri-county area of Berkshire, Surrey and Hampshire, with Sandhurst being in Berkshire, Camberley being in Surrey and Yateley being in Hampshire.

Discussion over the capacity for new homes in the Surrey portion of the tri-county area prompted a question over whether parts of Shepherd Meadows could be built on.

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Councillor Chris Turrell (Conservative, Harmans Water), executive member for planning, has made it clear that no homes will be built on the meadows.

At a Bracknell Forest Council executive committee meeting on Tuesday, March 21, members were asked to approve a policy to share natural space with neighbouring Surrey Heath Borough Council to allow more homes to be built in its part of the tri-county area.

The policy revolves around suitable areas of natural green space (SANGs), which are nature parks reserved for people to use to mitigate the impact of people using the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area (SPA), which is a protected countryside as it is used by ground resting birds.

Shepherd Meadows is one such SANG, with the theory of such spaces being that future occupants use these nature reserves rather than the SPA.

Cllr Turrell said: “The SANG area at Shepherd Meadows will not be built on.

“The purpose of SANG is to provide alternative places for dog walking and other exercise, to protect the nesting sites of rare ground-nesting birds within the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection area.”

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Each SANG has a capacity of occupants it can serve, which is calculated by the number of surrounding dwellings.

A report states Shepherd Meadows provide SPA mitigation for approximately 1,594 dwellings.

The mitigation Shepherd Meadows provides in Bracknell Forest is relatively limited, with it taking a capacity of 294 homes from nearby developments as of December 2022.

An agreement between Bracknell Forest Council and Surrey Heath Borough Council in 2015 meant SANG capacity at Shepherd Meadows was ‘diverted’ from Bracknell Forest to Surrey Heath.

This agreement meant 500 home SANG capacity could be taken up in Surrey Heath’s area.

Now, Bracknell Forest Council has agreed to divert a further 500 homes of SANG capacity to Surrey Heath.

This means Surrey Heath Borough Council can allocate more homes for development in its part of the tri-county area in Camberley.

That would leave a remaining ‘SANG capacity’ for 300 homes.

The agreement for Surrey Heath to take the Shepherd Meadows SANG capacity was approved by Bracknell Forest Council’s executive committee on Tuesday, March 21.

It means Surrey Heath has to pay Bracknell Forest Council for the capacity taken up, with council officers estimating that the neighbouring council could pay Bracknell Forest £3.5 million.

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The agreement has been made as both councils go through the Local Plan process.

Bracknell Forest Council’s local plan has been adjusted and will go to consultation in the summer.

Meanwhile, Surrey Heath Borough Council has not submitted its draft Local Plan to the government planning inspectorate yet.