Plans for 17 flats submitted again

Five affordable homes included in new planning application

PLANS for 17 new apartments in Tadley have been resubmitted.

The proposed development is for two one-bedroom apartments and 15 two-bedroom apartments, associated car parking and landscaping on land at Boundary Hill and Aldermaston Road.

The original application was refused by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s development control committee last month.

It was turned down primarily due to the site being situated within the Detailed Emergency Planning Zone (DEPZ) surrounding the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) in Aldermaston, which planners said could affect the off-site emergency planning arrangements.

Additionally, it was not thought to provide affordable housing or relevant community infrastructure to offset the impact of the development.

It was also criticised for having no Section 106 provision in place – an agreement between the council and developers when a proposal is thought to pose considerable impact on the area.

The new submission has attempted to address some of these issues.

It now includes five affordable housing units secured by a Section 106 agreement.

In regard to the concerns with the AWE DEPZ, a planning statement says: “On this basis, the already approved and extant consent for 945 sq m of office space could crudely accommodate in excess of 150 persons, which is clearly much higher than the population generated by the proposed residential development (in the region of 47).

“In light of this, it is considered that the residential element would reduce the burden on emergency partners should an incident unfortunately occur.”

The planning statement adds: “In respect of the application site, it previously served as part of a wider MoD facility, although the buildings associated with this were demolished in circa 1995.

“Whilst the remainder of the site was developed for residential purposes, the application site has remained undeveloped and fenced off.

“The surface of the site is currently partially tarmacked with the rest laid as compacted gravel.

“The site is currently somewhat overgrown, however it has in no way blended into the landscape over time.”

The appearance of the site was mentioned at the February meeting, when councillor David Leeks said: “Whatever happens, I’d like this redundant mess cleared up.

“For years and years we have had this fencing around the site.

“And whatever happens, I would like to see this cleared up and to get rid of that terrible fencing. It’s a blot.”

A decision will be made by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s Development Control Committee on June 10.

Planning permission for an office block on the site has previously been granted as part of a wider development plan known as Boundary Hall. The current submission follows a similar sized footprint.