Bracknell Homes Consultation Starts

4 February 2013, 06:00

People in Bracknell are being asked what they think about changes to planned new neighbourhoods.

Last summer the council submitted a document that deals with the borough’s future development needs, including 2,000 new homes, to the Government for examination by an independent Planning Inspector.

The document is called the Site Allocations Development Plan Document (SADPD).

The Planning Inspector has been considering objections which people have made to the proposals.

This process included hearings at the end of last year, which gave people the opportunity to put their views directly to the Planning Inspector. At the end of these sessions, the council was given the opportunity to prepare changes to the plan to make it ‘sound’.

The council has worked on these changes and the Planning Inspector has now asked the council to carry out a consultation on these changes, called Proposed Modifications. The main changes are:

The addition of boundaries to mark the limit of the area to be built on at the major developments:
- Land at Broadmoor, Crowthorne
- Land at Transport Research Laboratory, Crowthorne
- Land at Amen Corner North, Binfield
- Land at Blue Mountain, Binfield
- Land at Amen Corner South, Binfield
- Land at Warfield 

The inclusion of a number of additional sites or extensions to sites already proposed for development to provide a more robust housing land supply:
- Binfield Nursery, Binfield (33 new homes)
- Downside, Wildridings Way, Bracknell (18 new homes)
- Land south of Dukes Ride, Crowthorne (23 new homes)
- Land west of Alford Close, Sandhurst (120 new homes)
- Extension of proposed site on land north of Eastern Road, Bracknell (432 new homes instead of 325)
- Use of land at land north of Peacock Lane for housing rather than business use (182 new homes instead of 147 new homes).
- Wood Lane, Binfield (20 new homes). This would only happen if it was agreed that land at Blue Mountain should be developed.

The six-week consultation will run from Monday, February 4, until Tuesday, March 19. Comments can only be made on changes that are being proposed to the plan as the Planning Inspector has already considered comments made on the rest of the plan.

At the end of the consultation, the council will collate all responses received and send them to the Planning Inspector for consideration. He may then decide to hold further hearing sessions in April 2013.

Cllr Marc Brunel-Walker, executive member for economic development and regeneration, said: "The six-week consultation is now underway. I would encourage everyone in Bracknell Forest to look at the changes, and to have their say. This is about shaping the area we all live in and I look forward to seeing the feedback from the consultation."

People can comment online at: http://consult.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/portal and they can download a word version of the response form at http://consult.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/portal/planning/siteallocations/draftsubmission 
 
The Proposed Modifications and all accompanying documents are available online at: 
http://consult.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/portal/planning/siteallocations/draftsubmission