When I was the local Cllr I was keeping a close handle on this development but now my focus, as a Community Champion, has to be on what’s in it for the existing Community. I have submitted my objection via link below…
24/00951/REM | Reserved Matters (Appearance, Landscaping, Layout and Scale) (not including details for the Special Educational Needs (SEN)) pursuant to outline planning permission 22/01354/OUT for the construction of up to x320 new homes, land for a Special Educational Needs (SEN) school, a multi-functional community building alongside an area of strategic open space including play spaces and orchard planting together with associated landscaping, car parking, footpath/cycle connections and vehicular access on to Dedworth Road, following demolition of existing structures. | Land Bounded By Willow Path And The Limes And Windsor Road And Dedworth Road And Oakley Green Road Oakley Green Windsor
For clarity the multiple mentions of SEN School I believe are done for effect to prevent refusal. The school is not paid for out of the project, that money would come from the Gov, they are just giving the land. Which is a nice gesture but they will be generating hundreds of millions of pounds for themselves from the sale of 320 homes!
The NPPF requires developments like this to have an orchard because again it sounds good. Little consideration appears to be given to actually managing the trees they plant to fruit bearing age, never mind future years. PR spin.
The multi-functional community building sounds interesting… but it looks like part of the multi-function is having flats in the same unit to max number of properties. Ideally a community building would be just that with dedicated parking.
Q1. Is the community building a stand alone unit or are there flats being sold as part of it and how will that impact on the parking?
The singular road access would be OK for 30 homes but 320 homes and a school? That sounds like serious congestion just waiting to happen. Dedworth Road is already very busy and the junction with Oakley Green Road is one of the most highly polluted in RBWM. This was brought to the attention of the Planning Panel at the last meeting but was ignored by most of the Councillors.
Q2. Has there been an update in the Air Quality reports for the area and how are the council going to manage this, assuming the development is granted? Is the massive influx of new homes going to push these Air Quality levels above UK standard and breach a number of RBWM and national planning policies?
CIL is paid by a developer to the council to help with the cost of new infrastructure, outside of the development, to help minimise the effect of it being there. 320 homes will bring 500+ new vehicles plus the SEND school, once developed, will have 100+ cars in, 100+ cars out each day.
The CIL doc would imply around £5m of which 25% goes to Bray Parish Council.
Q3. Will RBWM put pressure on Bray Council to spend their share on items that are not their responsibility or will they be allowed to use it as they see best?
I fear the £3m+ RBWM share will be spent in other parts of the borough, due to zero CIL levies in Maidenhead, and Dedworth residents will see minimal investment for having to absorb more traffic chaos as a direct result of this new development.
Q4. Has the £3m+ that will go to RBWM already been spent? Can we see a detailed plan of how that money is going to be used before the Planning Panel meets to decide the outcome?
Q5. What other financial contributions will be made by the developer for the betterment of the Dedworth community?
When I was a Cllr I asked residents questions and shared the results when AL21 was one site.
It would appear as well as the north side being sold on to a different developer, the same has happened with the south side. So the new developer has essentially had no conversations with local people or has any ownership of previous “agreements” with the developer who schmoozed its progress thus far.
Q6. What are the benefits of allowing 320 homes to be built on AL21 and how do they outway the costs, specifically Air Quality and congestion along the A308 which is fit to bursting?
Q7. What are the key direct benefits of permitting this development for existing residents?
Q8. If the above benefits are seriously lacking will local councillors protect the interests of local residents over the profits of developers or will they back down for fear of getting into a legal fight and simply grant permission for the development to go ahead?
Thank you
Jon Davey
Community Champion
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