News

1st August 2012

Bracknell Forest responses to the Planning Inspector reveal a number of disturbing elements, not least that they do not seem to consider that the SADPD proposal that has been submitted is in fact complete and that they are still working on reviewing the proposal even though it has been submitted.

Bracknell Forest Council responses 120731 – site-allocations-councils-response-to-inspectors-initial-queries

25th July 2012

The Planning Inspector, Mr Michael J. Hetherington, appointed by the Government to review the SADPD submission from Bracknell Forest Council has written to them with a number of queries.

A copy can be downloaded from this link 120712 – site-allocations-inspectors-initial-queries

The Inspector is concerned about the information provided by Bracknell Council and has requested responses by 27th July 2012

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

11th May 2012

The following is a verbatim extract from Bracknell Forest Council Planning Office in reply to a request from NAAG to clarify the timetable for the SADPD proposal.

“We are hoping to make the representations available by the end of May.

We do not presently plan to make any significant changes before we submit. We will prepare a list of minor modifications that add clarity or update references to outdated guidance etc and this will form part of the submission material.

We still hope to submit to the Sec of State in June.”

Bracknell Forest Council Planning Dept.

————————————————————————————————————————————————-

November:

Housing campaigners say ‘we’ve not been listened to’

http://www.getbracknell.co.uk/news/s/2103597_housing_campaigners_say_weve_not_been_listened_to

By Hugh Fort
November 18, 2011

“You have not listened to us” – that is the overwhelming message from campaigners after a heavily consulted-on housing plan was re-issued without any changes to the major sites put forward.

Localism granted Royal Assent

16 Nov 2011, 10:49

The long-awaited Royal Assent for the Localism Bill was received on Tuesday afternoon, paving the way for a radically new planning regime to be introduced.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles called it the “biggest transfer of power in a generation, releasing councils and communities from the grip of central government.”

Among the changes are the abolition of Regional Spatial Strategies and the introduction of neighbourhood plans led by communities and business groups in non-governmental neighbourhood forums.

So far only a dozen neighbourhood forums have been set up in the North West under the DCLG pilot programme.

• Click here for DCLG’s map of Neighbourhood Plan Front Runners

The Department for Communities & Local Government’s own summary describes the key measures in the Act as follows, in the department’s words:

• Introducing a new general power of competence, giving councils unprecedented freedom to work together to improve services and drive down costs. Councils are now free to do anything – provided they do not break other laws
• Opening the door for the transfer of power to our major cities to develop their areas, improve local services, and boost their local economies
• Ending the ineffective system for overseeing the behaviour of councillors by abolishing the Standards Board
• Clarifying the rules on predetermination in order to free up councillors to express their opinions on issues of local importance without the fear of legal challenge
• Enabling councils to return to the committee system of governance, if they wish, regardless of their size. Centrally set rules interfering in how councils set up their own affairs are being scrapped
• Giving councils greater control over business rates. Councils will have the power to offer business rate discounts, which could help attract firms, investment and jobs. The Act cancels unfair back-dated business rates, which threatened to cripple key businesses. It stops plans to impose a business rate supplement on firms if a simple majority of those affected do not give their consent, and simplifies the process for claiming small business rate relief
• Introducing new planning enforcement rules, giving councils the ability to take action against people who deliberately conceal unauthorised development
• Increasing powers for councils to remove illegal advertisements and graffiti and prevent fly-posting, and giving planning authorities stronger powers to tackle abuses of the planning system
• Reforming homelessness legislation to enable councils to provide good quality private rented homes where appropriate, freeing up social homes for people in need on the waiting list
• Allowing councils to keep the rent they collect and use it locally to maintain social homes through the abolition of the housing revenue account
• Passing greater powers over housing and regeneration to local democratically elected representatives in London.

DCLG said there were also key measures to increase the power of local communities, these include:

• Introducing a new Right to Bid, which will give residents the opportunity to take over treasured local assets like shops and pubs and keep them part of local life
• Introducing a new Right to Challenge, making it much easier for local groups with good ideas to put them forward and drive improvements in local services
• Consigning Bin Taxes to the dustbin of history, by removing the ability of councils to charge families for overfilling their bin and to introduce extra tariffs for taking away household waste
• Increasing transparency on local pay, by requiring councils to publish the salaries of senior officials working in local authorities, enabling local people to understand how public money is being spent in their area
• Giving communities the right to veto excess council tax rises. Previously only central government had the power to ‘cap’ increases
• Introducing a new right to draw up a neighbourhood plan, giving local people a real voice to say where they think new houses, businesses and shops should go- and what they should look like
• Enabling communities to bring forward proposals for development they want – such as homes, shops, playgrounds or meeting halls, through the Community Right to Build
• Freeing home sellers and buyers from red tape through the abolition of Home Information Packs. The Act removes HIPs once and for all from the statute books
• Enabling people to swap their social home, for example because they wish to move jobs. A national home swap scheme will give access to details of all other tenants who may be a match
• Giving social tenants stronger tools to hold their landlords to account. Landlords will be expected to support tenant panels – or similar bodies – so tenants can carefully examine the services being offered. The Tenant Services Authority will be abolished
• Requiring developers to consult local communities before submitting certain applications. This gives people a chance to comment while there is still scope to make changes
• Ending decision making by unaccountable officials on important infrastructure projects such as train lines and power stations. The Act abolishes the Infrastructure Planning Commission, and restores responsibility for taking decisions to elected, accountable Ministers.

DCLG also published a plain English guide to the Localism Bill herewww.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/localismplainenglishupdate.

Many of the measures are expected to be in place by April 2012.

 

August:

The Sunday Times Sunday, August 7th, 2011

Shires in revolt over green spaces threat.

Villagers are among those at the forefront of a growing revolt against the government’s relaxation of planning controls in green spaces. For more information go to: http://www.nigelrennie.co.uk/2011/08/07/shires-in-revolt-over-green-spaces-threat-sunday-times-7082011/

July:

Foxley Lane/ Forest Road – The owner/ developer for the proposed development of 22 new houses on this green field site has withdrawn his application before an appeal was due to be heard in September 2011. There should be no complacency however as this application will almost certainly be resubmitted at some future date.

Murrell Hill Lane – The development of 72 houses on green land between Murrell Hill Lane and Terrace Road South was shown by the developers at an exhibition in Newbold College on the 15th July.  Final details of this proposal have not yet been submitted, but these are expected shortly.

Cabbage Hill –This massive development of some 2,400 houses will dwarf anything that has been submitted to date. The proposal was adopted by Bracknell Forest Council in January 2011 and detailed proposals are yet to be published. Such a development will have an significant effect on the whole area and will require massive investment in new roads, drains, services and other infrastructure such as schools, surgery’s, public transport, etc. The completed development will effectively join up Warfield and Binfield with Bracknell in to one large urban sprawl.

Blue Mountain Golf Course – The present proposal is to develop a secondary school, primary school, special needs school, football stadium and 400 executive homes on the existing golf course. A small amount of residual land will be left as open space. Such a development would end the life of Binfield as a village and it would become a suburb of Bracknell with no green space in between. Despite much comment in the media, this proposal has not been withdrawn by Luff Developments.

The northern arc of Bracknell is under severe threat of significant development that would change the character of the area forever and turn the area into a large urban sprawl reminiscent of 1930’s ribbon development that has been outlawed for many years. NAAG believe that the countryside needs to be protected and that it is not right to change this beautiful landscape forever into tarmac and roof tiles.

The policy of the present Council seems to be that they wish to build on green land and ignore or forget the fact that they can build nearly half of the required homes on existing brown land that has previously been developed. There is no need for this and we believe that it is the duty of any Council to protect the countryside.
June:

We ask you to read this report and to support NAAG/ Binfield Village Protection Society by writing to the Planning Inspectorate immediately.  

Planning ref: 10/00770/FUL. Appeal by Mr Andrew Wolton for the outline application for the erection of 22 dwellings with associated garages, access roads, footpaths and open spaces at junction of Forest Road/Foxley Lane, Binfield

Mr Martin Bourne, the Planning Team Manager of Bracknell Forest Borough Council has informed over fifty residents of Binfield that Mr Wolton, of Qualitas Consultants/Wolton Group/Fernhazel real estate agents, has lodged an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate against non-determination by Bracknell Forest Council in respect of the planning application above. Apparently Mr Wolton is a barrister and will speak on his own behalf at the Public Inquiry.

It is understood that the original letters from these residents have been forwarded to the Planning Inspectorate in triplicate.  A Third Party, that is anyone with a concern about development on this site can write to the Planning Inspectorate stating their concerns and voicing their opinion as to why this development should not take place. If you wish to object then your letter needs to be sent to:

The Planning Inspectorate
Easthampstead House,
Town Square,
Bracknell,
Berkshire RG12 1AQ

Letters must be sent before the closing date of Thursday, 30^th June.

We have given a sample letter as Appendix 1. Should you wish to write your own, it is important that you include some of the key considerations including:

• The planning application should be refused on the grounds already stated in the previous refusal.
• The proposed development is outside the settlement boundary and would contribute to the erosion of countryside surrounding Binfield Village.
• This site would provide less than half of one percent of the housing said, by Bracknell Forest, to be required for the population of Bracknell in 2022–2026.
• The site should not be included in the SADPDPO as its contribution is insignificant to the total requirement of land and houses as stated in the Bracknell Forest Council Local Development Framework Core Strategy.

We see this arrangement of allowing “Third Parties “   (i.e. the general public and local residents) to write more letters of objections as an important opportunity of strengthening our concerns that this application to build on this site is premature to the publication of the SADPDPO and should be refused. And if possible to indicate to the Inspector of the day that Bracknell Forest Borough Council should seriously consider excluding it from the published SADPDPO.

It is known that the appointed Inspector reads everything that it is sent to him. He will consider all comments carefully and if they are pertinent to the issues under consideration will include them in his judgment.  The Inspector will also explain why he has left out any specific point(s) in his summing up. The Inspector of the day may even say that he has noted that, e.g. 150 letters of objection refer to the inclusion of the site in the SADPDPO of BFBC, and although he cannot include it in his summing up he will make sure that it is passed on to the relevant persons.

We have been told since receiving the letter from Mr Bourne that this important Inquiry in Public will start on Tuesday 6^th September or Tuesday 13^thSeptember and will run for four days. It is very unlikely that anyone other than the representatives of Bracknell Forest Council and Mr Wolton will be present at the Public Inquiry for the whole four days.

Third Parties (residents) are allowed to attend and to speak to the Inquiry if they want to. It is always useful to inform the Inspectorate that you will be attending the opening session of the Inquiry in your initial letter. It gives some indication of how much room they require.

It is also worthwhile taking time to look at the appellant’s Grounds of Appeal. These can be see in the Council’s offices, , or see the BFC planning portal at http://www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/environment/env-planning-and-development/env-planning-applications/env-view-existing-planning-applications.htm.  Enter planning reference 10/00770/OUT

It is worth making yourself familiar with the Public Access section on the Bracknell Forest web site and with the Planning Inspectorate’s website: www.planning-inspectorate.gov.uk/pins/index.htm

This is not a simple way of making our concerns known but it is an effective way If you did not write objecting to the inclusion of this site in the SADPDPO this is an important  opportunity to do so.

Please write immediately about this matter.

Appendix 1 – Sample letter

The Planning Inspectorate
Easthampstead House,
Town Square,
Bracknell,
Berkshire RG12 1AQ

Dear Sirs,

Planning ref: 10/00770/FUL. Appeal by Mr Andrew Wolton for the outline application for the erection of 22 dwellings with associated garages, access roads, footpaths and open spaces at junction of Forest Road/Foxley Lane, Binfield.

I am writing to object to the planning application referred to and would ask the Inspector to take into consideration the following specific objections:

• The planning application should be refused on the grounds already stated in the previous refusal.
• The proposed development is outside the settlement boundary and would contribute to the erosion of countryside surrounding Binfield Village.
• This site would provide less than half of one percent of the housing said, by Bracknell Forest, to be required for the population of Bracknell in 2022–2026.
• The site should not be included in the SADPDPO as its contribution is insignificant to the total requirement of land and houses as stated in the Bracknell Forest Council Local Development Framework Core Strategy.

In addition we are concerned about:

• Protection of any wildlife which uses this area.
• Access to the site will create a danger to traffic on both Forest Road and Foxley Lane
• Essential road improvements to accommodate the access would have to include increased public road lighting, which would affect the rural characteristic of the area
• Increased strain on overstretched local services such as the Doctors Surgery.
• Impact on the character of the community

I do not believe that this location is compliant with the sustainable development policy  as defined by the Council, which is stated as  “Sustainable development is development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Therefore, sustainability is acting to create harmony between a developed economy and the environment.”

Yours faithfully,

****************************

January:

• Consultation ends on 17th January
  

• The response to the Warfield leaflet drop has been outstanding with many residents confirm what we had suspected all along – they did not know about the proposed developments. Could this be because the Council did not go door to door. Strong possibility

December:

• Radio Berkshire: 22/12 NAAG was interviewed on the Peter Kennedy show
  

• Warfield: Leaflets will be delivered to every house in Warfield between Christmas and new year asking for everyone to object to the consultation for West Warfield. The closing date is January 17th.

• Binfield and Warfield: We are launching a petition later this month opposing the saturation development in the Northern Arc  proposed by the Borough. We will have an electronic copy available for download so you can ask your friends and neighbours to sign as well. More news to follow.