Beloved hedge located between the old Wash Common Scout Hut in Battery End and Wash Common park in Newbury saved for the second time
Wash Commoners have been rejoicing after the rejection of a contentious planning application secured the future of a beloved local hedge.
This is the second time the sizable hedge – which is located between the old Wash Common Scout Hut in Battery End and Wash Common park – has been protected from potential destruction by West Berkshire Council planners.
Members of the council’s western area planning committee rejected plans to redevelop the land next to the hedge at a meeting on February 21.
Councillor David Marsh (Green, Wash Common) had been campaigning for several years to protect the treasured bush.
On the morning after the decision he said: “West Berkshire councillors last night refused permission for a detached house on the site of the old Scout hut deciding that it was too big for the site and posed a threat to the adjacent recreation ground hedge.
“This is a victory for residents who have been campaigning against this proposal for five years.
“No one opposes building a house there, but the developer will have to scale back the plans and submit a new application, as we have been arguing all along.
“Congratulations to Jenny Evans, who spoke very eloquently on behalf of residents, and Andy Moore, who went to the trouble of visiting the site and measuring it, demonstrating that the proposed house did not fit.”
Prudential Properties first submitted an application to demolish the hut and replace it with a two-storey, four-bedroom domestic dwelling in December 2022.
These plans were refused by the council last July due to the potential negative ecological impact the development could have on local wildlife.
Prudential re-submitted the application at the end of last year.
The new plans contained a hedge retention plan, but many objectors feared the local landmark would still be destroyed if planning permission was granted.
Residents wanted to save the hedge because of its ecological importance within the local environment and the historical significance of the park and the Civil War.