Plans for 35 mobile homes in Eton Wick given ‘slam dunk’ refusal

Royal Borough councillors gave a ‘slam dunk’ refusal to a proposal for mobile homes to be put up in Eton Wick – where work has already started on the site.

Developer R P S Group Limited (RPS) is seeking planning permission on behalf of the applicant, Fred Sines, to put up 35 mobile homes at Crown Farm in Eton Wick Road.

Two caravans have already been placed on the site, with hardstanding laid to prepare for other mobile homes to also be brought in.

At a Windsor and Ascot Development Management Committee meeting on Thursday (September 4), concerns were raised about the plans.

The site is part of the greenbelt – an area that has never been developed on before – and councillors said the homes would be harmful to its openness.

It also falls in flood zone three – the highest risk for flooding – and a planning officer told the meeting this would make the homes ‘highly vulnerable’ for future residents.

A flood and risk assessment was not submitted by the applicant as part of the plans.

Planning officer Sean Herbert said that mobile homes are also not considered to be affordable housing.

But he added: “This proposal would, in quantifiable terms, bridge the shortfall in housing supply.”

The Royal Borough has not been able to meet its five-year target of homes needed in Windsor and Maidenhead.

Councillor Mark Wilson (Lib Dem, Eton and Castle), the vice chair of the committee, said that the homes should be seen as ‘affordable housing’.

He said: “For me, the park home style, I would say, should count as affordable housing and on the right site should be very welcome.

“This isn’t the right site for the reason of the greenbelt, especially with the paddock area.”

Previously, the site was used as a paddock area for training horses but hardstanding has since been laid in preparation for the mobile homes.

Members unanimously voted against the plans, paving the way for enforcement action against the unauthorised works which have already started.

Cllr Julian Tisi (Lib Dem, Eton and Castle) said: “It appears [the proposal] would be a slam dunk refusal had this just been done by [planning] officers. Yes, we need houses, but it’s so outweighed by greenbelt [and] flooding.”

Cllr Neil Knowles (Ind, Old Windsor), the chair of the committee agreed this application was ‘a black and white’ decision.

In June and July this year, two other retrospective planning applications were refused for the same site.

At the time, shipping containers and hardstanding were proposed to create an open storage and parking area.

Cllr Devon Davies (Lib Dem, Eton and Castle) said voting against the latest proposal is the ‘obvious thing to do’.

He said: “I don’t see anything in favour whatsoever. This isn’t the sort of housing we want.

“This used to be grassland and it’s been trashed by this hardstanding and it’s going to be trashed by mobile homes unless we vote against it.”

Cllr Julian Sharpe (Con, Ascot and Sunninghill) also said the decision is ‘cut and dry with the greenbelt argument’.