Major plans to convert the historic Binfield House into retirement home are set for approval.
Binfield House has a history that dates back to the 1700s. It served as a family home until being converted into nursing home in the 1980s, but since March 2020 it has been vacant.
Now, the applicant Beechcroft Developments Ltd wants to transform the interior of the house into nine apartments.
The house currently has 16 flats within it, and extensive works would be required to reconfigure it into nine apartments – eight of which would be two-bedroom and one would be one-bedroom. Work would involve demolishing walls, adding new walling and infilling existing openings.
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The plan also involves knocking down a terrace of six one bedroomed bungalows which were approved in 1978 and replacing them with nine one-and-a-half storey homes in two terraces.
All of the new homes would be reserved for those aged 55 and over.
If the plan is approved, the number of homes on the site would go down from 24 (16 flats in Binfield House and six bungalows) to 18 (nine flats in Binfield House and nine bungalows).
A total of 22 car parking spaces have been provided in the plan, with 18 of these being reserved for residents and four for visitors. Two spaces will be marked as disabled from the outset, with space to convert the others into disabled spaces if needed.
Binfield House is a Grade II listed building, which means the applicants have had to provide a heritage assessment, which was conducted by Savills (you can see the assessment by putting reference 21/00024/LB into Bracknell Forest Council’s planning portal: https://planapp.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/online-applications/ ).
The scheme has received objections from neighbours in Binfield.
Binfield Parish Council recommended that it be refused, as it objects to the size the terraced homes proposed next to Binfield House.
There are also concerns over how construction lorries will access the site. Binfield House is currently accessed via a single track private road off Hall Garden. Wicks Green, which is the west of the house, is a single track public road.
The majority of neighbours were broadly supportive of the internal works in Binfield House itself.
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One neighbour, Brent Ellis wrote: “I have no objections to Binfield House conversion.
“The additional exterior properties will however add to traffic through Knox Green well above historical levels.
My main objection would be to the use of Knox Green/Hall Garden as access for construction traffic. This light traffic/pedestrian thoroughfare is totally unsafe and unsuitable for heavy vehicles.
“Wicks Green should be used and access made between the old gated access and Monks Alley.”
The plan has been recommended for approval by planning officer Katie Andrews, and it is due to be decided on by Bracknell Forest Council’s planning committee at 6.30pm today (Thursday, August 19).
You can view the documents for the scheme by typing reference 21/00023/FUL into Bracknell Forest Council’s planning portal: https://planapp.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/online-applications/ .
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