Ninety homes grudgingly approved in 'a jewel' of RBWM

RBWM narrowly voted through a plan for 90 homes in a key site near Ascot Racecourse despite strident objections from about half the council panel members.

The scheme will bring in £4.2million for social and community facilities, assisting with funding the wider high street regeneration.

At a lengthy meeting of the Windsor and Ascot Development Management Committee yesterday (December 5), opinion was split whether RBWM should try to defer the plan.

Those who wanted to do so felt they did not honour the spirit of the wider vision for the area.

These plans are for land south of Ascot High Street and east of Station Hill (24/01844/FULL), which is one parcel of the AL16 housing allocation in the Borough Local Plan (BLP).

Several councillors were concerned that this site – which is only for housing – relies too heavily on different parcel providing all the community amenities required for the larger redevelopment.

Cllr Julian Sharpe (Con, Ascot and Sunninghill) said that while the community has wanted a redevelopment of Ascot High Street ‘fir years’ this is 'not by any means the right development.’

“We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to correctly redevelop one of the jewels of the borough,” he said.

He raised concerns over looking at these sites individually, without considering the broader impact.

Two housing estates next to each other ‘was fundamentally not what the people of Ascot voted for’ when they agreed to have that land taken out of the greenbelt, he said.

“This development should provide additional highways capability, and it doesn't do it,” he said.

In terms of amenities, he said it was ‘enormous pressure’ to expect the developer of the other site, London Square, to come through and provide all of it.

Further concerns were raised that developers were not working together – a requirement enshrined in the BLP when this housing site was allocated.

He said RBWM was in danger of ‘driving a coach and horses through the entire planning policy of the borough’ if the local authority did not insist on this.

“Developers will see you won't enforce policy and they can do what they want,” he said.

But officers in the meeting repeatedly insisted that developers were working together to the letter of the policy, if not necessarily always 'harmoniously'.

Public speakers raised concerns too, including Sunninghill & Ascot parish councillor Robin Wood, who said the 140 allocated parking spaces was problematic.

It left no provision for deliveries, tradesmen or deliveries – and he feared would lead to parking on the narrow street, in allocated spaces or on the high street.

Cllr Sally Coneron (Con, Ascot and Sunninghill) echoed this, saying the plan was ‘of great concern’ to residents.

They may meet current parking regulations, she said, but these ‘are outdated and not fit for purpose.’

Cycling is also not a realistic option because it is ‘not safe’ in the area, she said.

Panel member Cllr Sayonara Luxton (Con, Sunningdale and Cheapside) was also concerned about parking, saying it is ‘a major problem on a normal day’.

Despite this, officers insisted that the impact was not so severe as to justify refusal and warned that, as the plans are compliant, a refusal might not stand up if it were taken to appeal.

They added that there was no grounds for a deferral, even if councillors felt they ought to be looking at the two applications alongside each other.

Councillors against the development continued to voice their discontent, however.

“What we're saying to people is, we don't care your high street is going to be blighted,” said Cllr Sharpe.

Despite the strength of these concerns, four out of seven members of the panel recognised it might not have grounds to refuse – and voted the proposal through.