The council has refused a planning application from an external planning company to build a new primary school in Ascot.

Had the planning application been approved, the new infrastructure would have been built near the site of the existing Ascot Heath Infant and Ascot Heath Junior Schools, which are set to merge in September. 

The council has outlined that the refusal of the application will in no way affect the merger of the school.

The application was submitted by an external planning company and was not sponsored or endorsed by the council, and was assessed by the authority in line with its planning policies. 

A report detailing why the application was refused read: “The proposal constitutes inappropriate development which, by definition, would be harmful to the green belt; it would also adversely affect the open, rural and undeveloped character of the green belt.

“There are no ‘very special circumstances’ that would outweigh this harm.”

The application outlined plans for sports pitches, a swimming pool, a golf course and 36 houses including 12 affordable homes.

The planning application received a staggering 55 objections from residents with just eight letters of support submitted to BFC. 

The Local Democracy Reporting Service reported in August 2018 that residents were unhappy with the size of the proposed development and the addition of the golf course. 

One resident who submitted their objection to the council wrote: “This seems like massive over-development. Why would we need a golf course? That is a ridiculous plan.

“More housing near to the school will make getting the over 400 pupils to school dangerous. Pavements aren't big enough, parents & children often end up on the road.”

A number of other objectors also pointed out their concerns with road safety and the report which outlined why the application had been refused also highlighted this issue.

It read: “It has not been demonstrated that the new access arrangements would adequately and safely accommodate existing and future development traffic. The development could have an unacceptable impact on highway safety.”

The merger of the school is still set to go ahead and the current building provisions at the site are set to accommodate the new primary school.

Bracknell Forest Council (BFC) confirmed the decision to combine the two schools in a £450,000 move at the start of January.

The new school is set to open in time for the beginning of the 2019/2020 academic year in September and the council has made clear that the application’s refusal will not impact upon the intended start date.