A plan for an additional nine homes at a new housing estate in Binfield is set to be refused after proving unpopular with neighbours.
Developer JPP Land Limited has applied to build six four-bedroom and three three-bedroom homes on land to the north of Tilehurst Lane in Binfield.
The application was submitted as an addition to a 53 home estate which was refused by Bracknell Forest Council's planning committee but allowed on appeal in September 2019 (planning reference 18/00758/FUL).
But the bid for the nine additional homes proved unpopular with councillors during an advisory meeting of the planning committee on Thursday, November 11.
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A major issue during discussion of the plan was over flooding.
Peter Kopik, an neighbour who spoke at the meeting, said Tilehurst Lane is prone to flooding, with water running down hills to gather at the site.
He feared that the area could flood with more development, and into his own property in particular.
Mr Kopik said that surface water would make his land ‘useless’.
He added: “I have lived here for over 30 years and have seen flooding almost every year, and it is getting worse.”
Binfield Parish Council also recommended refusal over flooding concerns and the nature of the development being outside of the settlement boundary.
However, planning officer Jo Male, who recommended that the committee approve the plan, said that Thames Water made no objections, and that conditions would be attached to approval requiring the developer to submit details of its drainage scheme.
Furthermore, Douglas Bond, agent for JPP Land Ltd argued flooding issues had been addressed after a similar plan for nine homes, application 18/00765/FUL, was refused in 2019 and an appeal dismissed this year.
Mr Bond said: “The council’s flooding experts have confirmed that this matter has been comprehensively addressed in all respects.”
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But councillors were sceptical of these assurances.
Councillor John Harrison (Conservative, Binfield with Warfield) said: “I recall recently the flack that our MPs for supposedly allowing discharge of sewage into rivers, I think this is an even more serious situation.
“We are talking about the very likely discharge of sewage into people’s gardens and eventually into their houses and the backing up into their toilets and things like that if we allow too much water to get into the drainage system.
“I’m not at all convinced by the solution proposed here and quite concerned about the drainage going into the sewage system rather than proper storm drains.”
A majority of councillors disapproved of the plan, with 10 voting against it and the chairman Cllr Colin Dudley (Conservative, Crown Wood) abstaining. Only vice chair Cllr Michael Brossard (Conservative, Central Sandhurst) voted for it.
The meeting was held in a virtual advisory capacity, which you can view in the twitter thread below: https://twitter.com/jamesAjourno/status/1458865293166530570
You can view the plan by typing in reference 21/00141/FUL into the council’s planning portal here: https://planapp.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/online-applications/
Because the committee’s decision diverged from officer Male’s recommendation for approval, the plan will have to be discussed at a physical meeting of the committee, where it is likely to be refused.
Councils are allowed to hold virtual meetings on the provision that they follow recommendations and any decisions made can be delegated to council officials.
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