131-homes plan for waste centre

Council approves outline planning permission

A waste and recycling facility in Ascot has moved a step closer to being turned into homes after councillors approved outline planning permission this week.

The Shorts Waste Transfer and Recycling Facility, in St Georges Lane, is believed to be an ‘inappropriate’ development on the greenbelt but planning officers stated that ‘very special circumstances’ (VSC’s) would outweigh this.

The Royal Borough Development Management Panel met virtually on Wednesday night and voted unanimously in favour of the outline proposals – which are subject to a series of conditions and the completion of a section 106 agreement by the developer, Shorts Group Limited.

The application – which could see up to 131 new homes and pedestrian and cycle links through the site – was only seeking ‘access’ to be considered at this stage, with all other matters reserved.

In the report, officers say that access is ‘considered acceptable’ and would not have an impact on the safety of the highway or ‘free flow of traffic’.

They do acknowledge that the plans would be an ‘inappropriate’ development on the greenbelt but despite this, a series of

VSC’s are said to outweigh this harm.

These include the 131 homes providing the borough with a better housing land supply and the removal of lorry movements along Ascot High Street.

Nearby St George’s

School, in Wells Lane, worried about St George’s Lane being used as the main access to the site, which is also the main access to the school.

The developer says that the carriageway here will be widened to facilitate twoway traffic and that onstreet parking will be removed.

Karen Charles, representing the applicant, added the development will offer ‘a mix of rented and shared ownership affordable homes’.

She said: “The application has been through a rigorous assessment process with your officers who are satisfied that the application confidently meets the greenbelt test.”

Councillor David Hilton (Con, Sunningdale and Ascot) said this was one of five sites near the centre of Ascot coming forward for development ‘over a period of time’.

“This has been known about as a place that would be developed for something like eight years, so no surprise that we eventually end up with an application,” he added.

Cllr Hilton said ‘no one actually owns’ St George’s Lane, which is ‘not an adopted road’, and raised concerns about street lighting.

“If this is approved, the issue of maintenance at St George’s [Lane], and whether lighting is appropriate, should be included in the issues that planning consider should this be deferred to them,” Cllr

Hilton said.

Planning officer Vicky Gibson said: “I think what tends to happen is RBWM and Shorts [the applicant] will maintain that road, but that is not a reason for why this application should be refused.”