Major victory for local campaigners
Plans for up to 1120 houses at The Parks, formerly the RAF Staff College, have been thrown out. The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, John Denham, has agreed with the recommendation of planning inspector Edward Simpson that the appeal by Taylor Wimpey should be dismissed and planning permission refused.
The Secretary of State agreed with the Inspector that reducing the width of the parkland would change its character. The "relatively informal spaciousness" would be lost, to be replaced by "a constrained and regimented open area dominated by formal playing pitches". He added "this amounts to a significant harm". At the 10-day public inquiry in February, local campaigners had criticised the low quality and small size of the sports pitches to be provided under the application, compared to the approved scheme now being built.
There was also concern for the effect on the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area, which aims to protect the habitat of rare ground-nesting birds. Alternative areas, known as SANGS, should be provided. There was no certainty this could be done in sufficient quantity.
During the inquiry, the appellants, Taylor Wimpey and the Homes and Communities Agency [formerly English Partnerships] had tried to offer land they own by North Lake, South Hill Park, for sports pitches. This was not considered appropriate as it is more than 400 metres from the development site.
The inspector criticised proposals to build on and break up open space within the site, and said he felt the proposals amounted to overdevelopment.
Cllr Chris Turrell said: "This is a fantastic victory. There were huge concerns over the proposal to build over and destroy the parkland.
People were also worried about the effect on the wider area. At the inquiry, Wimpey's representatives stated that, if they lost, they would go back to building only the approved scheme for 730 dwellings. I think it would be in the best interests of all if this now happened. This victory shows the value of residents, councillors, council officers and others banding together. A lot of people worked hard to get this excellent result."
ENDS
contacts
Cllr Chris Turrell, 01344 420471
Cllr Shelagh Pile, 01344 421754
Allison Cleverly, 01344 311450
Bob Pennell, 01344 423302
Notes for news editors:
1. The former RAF staff college site [now The Parks] was earmarked for housing in the mid 1990's, after the RAF had indicated they would be moving from Bracknell. of the 44 hectares [110 acres] of the site, 25 hectares was previously built on, and 19 hectares was green space.
2. Government policies increasing the density of new development to a mandatory minimum of 30 dwellings per hectare, were introduced in March 2000. In response, the Local Plan adopted in January 2002 allowed for 730 houses on the previously developed land the staff college site.
3. Harmans Water residents turned out in force for a public meeting in 2001 with Andrew MacKay MP and ward councillors.
4. Local councillors, including Shelagh Pile and Chris Turrell, pressed for the council to consult with residents. This resulted in a planning brief for the site being published in October 2002. This provided more detail as to what developers could and could not do, and stipulated that the green space was not to be developed.
5. Planning permission was passed in outline in 2003 and in full in 2006, for a scheme compliant with the local plan and planning brief.
6. The site was "sold" by Defence Estates to government quango English Partnerships for £80m, against a market value of £96m. Private developers were denied the chance to make offers for it.
7. A poster campaign started after a public meeting in 2005. Ward councillors and English Partnerships were present, and the meeting was chaired by Andrew MacKay MP.
8. English Partnerships appointed George Wimpey [now Taylor Wimpey] as the developer for the site in 2006.
9. Local residents' groups came together in June 2007 to form Scram [Staff College: Residents Against Madness], in response to concern that English Partnerships and Taylor Wimpey would apply to build as many as 1150 houses on the site, and in doing so encroach on the19-hectare green area within the site. Scram has worked with local councillors, Ranelagh School and Andrew MacKay MP.
10. Local campaigners scored a significant victory with the dismissal of the Crescent appeal in August 2008. Taylor Wimpey had wanted to build 6-storey blocks of flats at the access to the site off the Horse and Groom roundabout. The approved permission was for 3 storeys. After a 3-day public inquiry, the inspector threw out the plans for 6-storey buildings.
11. Parks residents were among those speaking at another public inquiry in February 2009. Wimpey were appealing against refusal of an application to increase housing numbers to 1120, and build on the green area of the site. Meanwhile houses had already been marketed and sold as being in a parkland setting. Parks residents spoke out against the mis-selling of their homes.
12. The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, John Denham, dismissed the appeal on 20 August 2009 in a 7-page letter. It followed receipt of a 164-page report from Edward Simpson, the planning inspector who presided over the public inquiry in February and April 2009.