Plans confirmed for 100 homes next to Thames Hospice

A hundred homes are set to be built on land neighbouring Thames Hospice – if plans are approved by the council.

An outline application by Shanly Homes and Summerleaze has been put forward for 99 homes on land south of Bray Lake, in Windsor Road.

The site is known in the Borough Local Plan (BLP) as AL26 – and was earmarked for about 100 homes. It previously fell within the greenbelt but was removed on the adoption of the BLP.

Currently, the site is predominately made up of about four hectares of bare ground and natural grassland, with trees and hedges along its boundaries.

There is an existing permissive footpath and this is set to be retained in the plans.

The applicants made some changes from a pre-application they previously submitted, reducing the number of homes and creating ‘strong green infrastructure’ as advised.

Current proposals are for a mix of two-, three-, four- and five-bedroom homes as well as one- and two- bedroom flats set into detached, semi-detached and terraced dwellings.

More than 70 per cent of homes are family sized houses (three or more bedrooms) with private gardens. Forty per cent of the homes are set to be affordable housing.

The plans is to have six distinct character areas, including:

• Village Green – buildings of various heights in the heart of the development, facing inwards to a central area of public open space of around 540sqm, including a children’s playground
• Mews – houses arranged in a courtyard with links to the cycle path
• Lake frontage – detached houses which are arranged facing onto the lake.

A second area of public space measuring 6,780sqm is planned to run along Bray Lake, with ponds, intermittent tree planting and new hedge planting that will act as a ‘buffer’ from the water’s edge.

The intention is to filter views across the lake and ‘ensure there is no significant impact on landscape character.’

The BLP requires 0.6 hectares per 1,000 people of amenity grassland – equating to 1,360sqm on the site. Therefore, the amount planned ‘substantially exceeds policy requirements.’

There are 229 car parking spaces proposed – 218 allocated spaces and 11 unallocated visitor spaces.

As such, the development ‘exceeds the parking standards’ to ‘ensure there is no overspill parking on to local streets.’

Cycle parking is provided for each house and a bike store is provided for each apartment building.

Pedestrian and cycle routes will be provided through the site, connecting Windsor Road to the public footpath.

The site is expected to generate about 50 two-way vehicle movements in the morning and evening peak hours.

This equates to less than one additional movement every minute.

“The overall site has been carefully designed to respond to, and integrate with, the Thames Hospice site,” said the applicants’ representatives, Boyer.

There will also be CIL funding ‘to support a range of infrastructure including strategic transport improvements.’

To see all planning documents, enter reference 22/01791/OUT into the Borough’s planning portal.