Officers recommend refusal for 'urbanisation' of The Fisheries via five new homes

A controversial five-home plan in Bray that would affect the character of the area is set to be debated at council tomorrow (October 18).

The proposal for Zaman House and Awan House on Church Road does not hold the favour of the Windsor and Maidenhead council’s planning team.

They said the development ‘is of poor design’, ‘would be overly dominant in the street scene’ and ‘detrimental to the character of the area.

The site is also adjacent to a conservation area and this ‘would result in harm’ to it.

The Fisheries comprise large detached houses set within ‘spacious’ plots. Church Road and The Fisheries are characterised by large detached single-family houses.

Trees and other vegetation give the area ‘a verdant appearance’. The area is identified as a ‘leafy residential suburb.’

Zaman House and Awan House are ‘very large’ houses, set in ‘very generous’ plots.

They are two-storey houses measuring 8.6 metres tall and 30 overall width (Zaman House); and 8.8 m tall and 20.6 metres overall width (Awan House).

These houses are separated by a gap of 13 metres and there are substantial gaps on either side of each house, in the order of five metres and seven metres to the west and east boundaries.

The current proposal is for five detached houses with accommodation arranged over three storeys.

The houses would each measure about 10 metres in height and be 10 metres wide for four plots, and 12 metres wide for the other two.

There would be a gap of ‘merely three metres’ between each on the five new houses.

Thus, these would appear ‘very urban’ in form and ‘would introduce a much tighter grain of development.’

“The row of new houses would appear very dominant and out of character with surrounding houses,” wrote officers.

“The design of the houses with their unusual roofs [make] the row of buildings appear very dominant and out of keeping in the street scene.

“It is considered that the currently proposed development would be incongruous with the established character of the area.”

In addition, there is no affordable housing plan established, or financial contributions towards it.

The on-site affordable housing requirement would amount to 1.5 units.

If provision for affordable housing cannot be met on site there would be a requirement for financial contributions for off-site provision, secured via a S106 legal agreement.

The applicant ‘has not given any indication’ that any of the houses would be offered as affordable housing, nor indicated whether they are prepared to make financial contributions.

Officers had further concerns over floods, trees and ecology. The majority of the site is within Flood Zone 3, where there is a high probability of flooding.

The planning team does not have the authority to approve or refuse this particular application – it will be decided by the Maidenhead Development Panel on October 18.