The Maidenhead Development Management Committee considered four planning applications and an update on the council's planning appeals at its meeting. The committee voted to approve three of the applications and to refuse one.

Stag Farm

The committee considered a retrospective application for the retention of fencing at Stag Farm, in the green belt¹.

• to check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas
• to prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another
• to assist in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment
• to preserve the setting and special character of historic towns
• to assist in urban regeneration, by encouraging the recycling of derelict and other urban land"

The applicant had erected 1.2m high fencing without planning permission in order to provide security for the site after a series of thefts. The committee heard from the case officer that the fencing was acceptable on the grounds that it was not overly prominent and was acceptable development in the Green Belt.

The committee voted to approve the application.

Former Rosemary School Site

The committee then considered an application to build 23 new homes on the site of the former Rosemary School in Cookham.

Councillor David Coppinger spoke in objection to the proposal, highlighting the loss of the existing trees, which he described as the biggest issue for me on this application

The case officer responded:

An arboricultural impact assessment has been produced... this demonstrates that the trees that are lost would have limited quality in arboricultural terms.

The committee heard that the scheme would provide 35% affordable housing², but that this was below the council's target of 50%.

• meet the needs of eligible households whose needs are not met by the market
• include provision to remain at an affordable price for future eligible households or for the subsidy to be recycled for alternative affordable housing provision"

Councillor Leo Walters proposed that the application be refused on the grounds that the loss of trees and the level of affordable housing were unacceptable.

After a discussion in which the committee's concerns were addressed, Councillor Walters withdrew his motion to refuse the application.

The committee subsequently voted to approve the application.

Berkshire College of Agriculture

The committee then considered an application for the erection of a new building to provide teaching space for students at the Berkshire College of Agriculture.

Councillor John Bowden proposed that the application be refused on the grounds that the new building was too large and that its design was not in keeping with the surrounding buildings.

I think it's the wrong design. I think it's too big, and I think it will have a detrimental impact on the area.

The committee heard from the case officer that the new building was acceptable in terms of its size and design, and that it would provide much-needed new teaching space for the college.

Councillor Bowden withdrew his motion to refuse the application, and the committee voted to approve the application.

Compound at Stubbings Nursery

The committee then considered an application for a temporary two year permission for the siting of a compound at Stubbings Nursery for use in conjunction with the construction of Grenfell Park.

Councillor Coppinger objected to the scheme, arguing that the traffic generated by the compound would cause significant disruption on local roads.

There's already a lot of HGVs going through Holyport and using that road as a shortcut to the M4...It's a nightmare for residents.

The committee heard from the applicant that the traffic generated by the development would be minimal.

Despite the applicant's assurances, the committee voted to refuse planning permission, arguing that the traffic generated by the development would have a negative impact on the amenity of local residents.

Planning Appeals Update

The final item on the agenda was an update from the planning appeals team. The committee heard that there were currently 12 appeals outstanding.

The committee noted the update.