Residents are getting behind plans to build two homes on the site of a Winkfield garage despite objections from the council.
Issues concerning overdevelopment, the loss of a protected tree and building on the countryside means Bracknell Forest Council (BFC) wants to throw out the proposal.
READ MORE: Residents urge council to throw out Ascot homes plan
But a group of neighbours are supporting plans to replace the garage on North Street as they believe the current site is “shabby” and “run down”.
A resident living close to the site wrote to BFC: “The sooner this is agreed the better!
“The place is an absolute eyesore and appears to have gone out of business recently which means it will only get worse.”
Another wrote: “I have lived here for over forty years now – the site as it stands needs developing as it is now looking very shabby”, and a fellow resident added their belief the new homes would “add to the residential character of the village.”
The second site is North Street in Winkfield (19/00036/FUL) on the site of the Popeswood Garage: Erection of 2 dwellings.
— Cllr Thomas Parker 🔶 (@thomasparker75) June 17, 2019
(Important to note that officers are recommending to refuse this but it was called in by ward Councillor Moira Gaw) pic.twitter.com/s0tvHUR4AI
BFC wants to scrap the application primarily because of the proposed houses’ impact on the Green Belt, meaning the plans are contrary to the authority’s countryside building rules.
The removal of a protected tree is also causing concern for the council, with the authority claiming the weeping willow makes an “important contribution” to the character of the area.
Refusal of the application has been put on hold, however, after councillor Moira Gaw requested the authority’s planning committee makes the final decision on the plans.
The homes are both four-bedroom dwellings and would represent a 269 per cent size increase on the existing garage, but this does not seem to bother neighbours.
Another resident added: “It (the garage) is now extremely run down and totally out of place and it will be a great peace of mind for all locally to see it finally settle down as two very attractive dwellings, which appear to be in character with other local properties.
“This will be a huge improvement generally for our one street village.”
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Councillors will decide on the plans at a meeting of BFC’s planning committee on Thursday, June 20.
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