Slough and South Bucks planning round-up: Four homes refused in Cippenham

Here are the latest and most significant planning applications in Slough and South Bucks. To see all documents, enter their reference numbers into their respective council's online planning portal.

Refused: Slough council has refused permission for four homes on land to the rear of 35-37 Lower Cippenham Lane.

Officers said the new houses would not fit in with the look or layout of the area, taking away garden space and making the area feel more built-up.

There were concerns about poor living conditions – that the back gardens for the new houses would be too small and shady, making them unsuitable for future residents.

Further, officers raised concerns over unsafe access. The driveway would be too narrow for two-way traffic, causing cars to reverse onto a busy road, they felt.

Moreover, there are no proper walking paths to and from the new houses, putting pedestrians at risk, officers added.

Parking spaces are too small or unusable, leading to more on-street parking, blocking roads and causing safety problems.

Finally, there would be poor visibility; drivers wouldn’t be able to see clearly when entering or leaving the site, increasing the risk of accidents.

P/02690/007

Refused: Plans to turn an office into a couple of two-bedroom flats at 3-5, Mackenzie Street in Slough, have been turned down.

Officers said the application didn’t show that the proposals would have no adverse impacts on occupants from transport, including adequate cycle and bin provision.

In the absence of a contaminated land report, the application also didn’t demonstrate that the proposals would have no adverse impact from any contamination risk.

F/00042/009

Pending: A plan is in to convert the first floor of NatWest at 118 Slough High Street into four one-bed flats.

There are other applications pending relating to this site:

Approval to change the use of the ground floor into a single one-bed flat, and plans to change the ground floor instead to one two-bed flat, as well as a change of use for the second, third and fourth floors.

P/00610/020

Pending: A plan is in for a bid to change the use from office space at Charter Court, 50, Windsor Road, Slough to create five flats.

F/00022/028

Pending: A plan is in to change the use of a property at 396, Farnham Road, Slough, from a salon into a café.

It is currently the site of Lukas Hairdressers.

Because it proposes to make food, the development would involve installing an extractor fan, known to increase noise and create potential visual intrusion or odours compared to businesses that do not require one.

P/12133/003

Pending: A plan is in for three custom-build homes to be built between numbers 18 and 20 in Dorney Reach, Dorney.

The site is located within the greenbelt, where there is a presumption against inappropriate development that would be harmful to openness.

But the applicant argues this is ‘limited infilling’ within a village setting, which counts in its favour if the local authority agrees with this point of view.

Limited infilling means small-scale development that fills a gap between existing buildings within a village or built-up area.

The application proposes vehicle accesses to all three new properties, each with their own separate parking areas at the front of the site.

Three allocated car parking spaces are shown for each property on the proposed layout plan, with enough room within the turning area of the driveway to allow for a visitor to park.

A 'minimal amount of trees' (two) will be removed as a result of the proposed development. The site is in Flood Zone 2, medium flood risk.

Buckinghamshire council is supposed to have enough land ready for building homes to last five years, but they only have enough for about 1.3 years.

This significant shortfall gives weight to any plan to build housing, however small the proposal.

There is also a requirement for a local authority to make space for some custom/self-build housing.

PL/25/0863/FA