A plan to build a home on a garden in Binfield has been refused as it would have been “a cramped and unneighbourly form of development.”

Developers had been hoping to build a three bedroom home on land to the rear of Rendcombe house in Terrace Road South, Binfield.

Yet the plan was torpedoed due to the impact it could have had on neighbours.

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Councillor Ian Leake (Conservative, Binfield with Warfield) and fellow members of Bracknell Forest Council's planning committee viewed the plan as ‘uneighbourly’ due to its proximity to Halfacre, an existing house.

Cllr Leake said: “The critical point, and the most important point is that the access to the proposed site is precisely along the boundary of the adjoining property, and that is, by its very nature, going to cause distress and disturbance to the residents of Halfacre. In addition to that, that access, and the property itself, are immediately adjacent to their garden and private space, and that means the noise and pollution that arises from vehicle access will be intruding into their garden space day and night.”

Bracknell News: The location of the proposed house in relation to the existing Rendcombe house and neighbouring Halfacre house in Binfield. Credit Pegasus GroupThe location of the proposed house in relation to the existing Rendcombe house and neighbouring Halfacre house in Binfield. Credit Pegasus Group

Also opposing the plan, Cllr Ankur Shiv Bhandari (CON, Binfield with Warfield) said: “But this is clearly bad backland development, bad garden development, challenges with privacy, challenges with our overall approach to planned development, therefore I will not support it.”

Cllr Tricia Brown (Labour, Priestwood and Garth) was ready to support the plan, but ultimately voted against it. She said: “I was thinking that this was a reasonable suggestion of the sort of development that could happen in Binfield, and I was all set to say yes, in principle this great, except when I realised the driveway is actually right against the neighbours house which is unneighbourly, so I’m really unhappy now and won’t support it.”

The developers were seeking to build a coach house with two-storeys, with three bedrooms, two of which would have been ensuite. An outbuilding would have been removed to create access to the new home.

Bracknell News: Designs for a what the three bedroom 'coach house' at Rendcombe in Binfield would have looked like if built. Credit: Pegasus GroupDesigns for a what the three bedroom 'coach house' at Rendcombe in Binfield would have looked like if built. Credit: Pegasus Group

Bracknell planning officer Olivia Jones recommended that the plan be approved, however, members of the advisory committee opposed it by seven votes to three. Because the committee went against the officer’s recommendation, five members of the committee met in person to pass a ‘final judgement’ on the plan yesterday (Wednesday, July 28).

Officer Jones’ recommendation to approve the housebuild was voted down. Cllr Bhandari proposed an alternative motion to refuse the plan on two key grounds.

The first reason for refusal was that “the erection of a dwelling in the rear garden of Rendcombe would result in a cramped and unneighbourly form of development, to the detriment to the character of the area and amenities of surrounding properties.”

The second reason for refusal was that the plan falls within the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area (SPA) which means that developers must show that their plans will not negatively impact the integrity of the area. Cllr Bhandari wrote in his motion that the plan did not “satisfactorly mitigate its impacts in this respect.”

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Of the five committee members present at the meeting, Cllrs Bhandari, Colin Dudley, the chairman of the committee (CON, Crown Wood) Dorothy Hayes MBE (CON, Ascot) and Ray Mossom (CON, Owlsmoor) all voted to refuse it.

Cllr Michael Brossard (CON, Central Sandhurst), the vice chair, was the only councillor to vote for it.

The plan was first discussed at a virtual advisory planning committee of Bracknell Forest Council on Thursday, July 15.