Fresh bid to build homes at The Crown

The long battle to put homes on The Crown pub site in Wootton Way continues – with a new plan for four houses now lodged with RBWM.

The site is located on the western side of Wootton Way in Boyn Hill and comprises an about 1,200sqm including the vacant Crown pub – an ‘attractive, two storey red brick and slate tile Victorian property’, as described by RBWM.

An enclosed seating area lies to the side of the building, with most of the plot made of hard surface used for parking.

The previous application ref: 21/01118/FUL for two pairs three-bedroom of semi-detached houses to the side of the pub (with eight off-street parking spaces) was refused.

The applicants said this was ‘because of only one objection’ ie, access points to the site. One access was proposed for entrance and other for exit.

Officers, who quashed this plan in May last year, did indeed say the plan ‘failed to demonstrate that the proposed new access onto Maple Close would maintain adequate manoeuvrability and car parking for proposed residents … in Maple Close and Altwood Road.’

They felt the proposal ‘would therefore have a detrimental impact on highway and pedestrian safety and the free flow of traffic.’

But other objections were listed, including its height, scale and design which officers felt would ‘result in an incongruous, cramped overdevelopment of the site.

This would be exacerbated by ‘excessive site coverage with building and hardstanding, and its limited scope to introduce a sustainable landscaping scheme of suitable quality.’

Officers also felt the scheme ‘fail[ed] to demonstrate that the level of parking proposed would not result in an unacceptable overspill of cars onto the highway.’

Moreover, the proximity to the boundary with the neighbouring property ‘would appear obtrusive’ and there were also concerns over drainage plans.

This rejection follows a lost an appeal against RBWM in 2021, which say a plan for 12 flats turned down, over concerns for the character of the area.

Parking, highways impacts and scale also came up as concerns then too.

A plan for 10 flats logged in 2021 was also disposed of at the beginning of this year because there had been 'no recent correspondence' from the applicant – having received several objection letters.

The new application (24/00630/FULL) shows the homes would be built on the current parking area with access off Norden Road (an existing access), parallel to Maple Close on the other side.

It would cover about 781sqm of the site, with parking marked towards the Norden Road end for eight cars.

Four sets of outdoor amenity space behind the two planned semi-detached buildings measure between 60-91sqm approx., backing onto Maple Close.

The two-storey homes would also have bedroom space in the lofts, covering a net area of 122sqm.

Also in the system is a bid for part demolition of existing [bike] store to accommodate 14 bicycle parking spaces within the building, and seven car park spaces (24/00192/FULL).

Made on behalf of the owner of the Crown, the idea is to 'positively enhance the char acer of the area' as it would be 'socially and economically beneficial for the local community', they claim.

Once again, a previous application was refused because of an objection to proposed pub parking on Altwood Road, the applicants said.