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Thatcham housing scheme 'cannot be justified'




Plans for apartments and homes refused

WEST Berkshire Council has said that plans for apartments on Benham Hill cannot be justified.

Ressance Ltd was looking to demolish 212-216 Benham Hill and replace them with 16 apartments and four houses.

The Newbury-based developer said there was a high demand for the type of properties it was seeking to build, linked to its belief that the council cannot demonstrate a five-year land supply.

It added that the oversized back gardens along Benham Hill were not an efficient use of land.

While the council said that the principle of developing the site was acceptable, the submitted scheme could not be justified.

Planning officers said that the apartments would be overdominant and have an unacceptable impact on neighbouring properties. Vehicles accessing the parking area would increase the level of disturbance.

However, the council said that there would not be any unacceptable effects on the living conditions of properties in Rydal Drive.

A lack of affordable housing was also criticised.

Council policy dictated that six affordable homes should be included with the scheme, but Ressance said that this would make the scheme unviable.

The council was backed by its consultant Dixon Searle, who said the lack of affordable homes could not be justified.

Highways officers also said that the significant shortfall in parking spaces – 26 to the council’s required 36 – was unacceptable.

The council said that any street parking would be opposed due to the on-street cycle track and very high traffic along the A4.

“Given these significant concerns it is considered that the shortfall in parking would have a detrimental impact on highway safety,” the council report said.

The council received 17 letters of objection and one supporting the proposal.

Objectors said that a jewel in the Thatcham landscape would be lost and that the buildings would be an overdevelopment of the site.

Increased amounts of traffic and a lack of parking spaces were also cause for concern.

The sole letter of support said that the housing would be of a decent size, would create income for the council and that Ressance had recently had a similar scheme at the junction of Henwick Lane approved.



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