Panel to discuss plans for Eton Wick mobile homes and major Ascot development

Councillors are set to discuss plans for mobile homes in the greenbelt in Eton Wick and major proposals for 101 homes in Ascot at a meeting next week.

Officers have recommended the Windsor and Ascot Development Management Committee gives the go ahead for the housing development in Ascot and the return of a temporary ice rink at Alexandra Gardens in Windsor.

But proposals for 35 mobile park homes to be put up at Crown Farm on Eton Wick Road have been recommended for refusal.

Mobile homes in Eton Wick

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.

The officers’ report notes that objectors have complained that site clearance work has already started, without consent.

A few of the caravans have been brought on to the farm and work has started for an internal access road, meaning the plans are now being treated as part retrospective, the report said.

Officers raised concerns about the development being built on a greenbelt area and within flood zone 3, the highest flooding risk.

Letters were also submitted with objections from residents who are worried about the increase in traffic and the ‘detrimental impact’ on biodiversity as well as the openness of the greenbelt.

If approved, all of the caravans would be more affordable than traditional homes, but mobile homes are not recognised as affordable housing.

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

At the time, the developer looked to set up shipping containers and to lay down hardstanding for an open storage and parking area.

Windsor on Ice

Councillors will also make a decision on plans for the return of a temporary ice rink at Alexandra Gardens

It would be open during the winter months from November until January, every day from 10am to 9pm. If granted, the permission would continue until 2028.

The rink is expected to increase the number of visitors to the town centre, supporting local businesses and tourism as a result, said officers.

Some residents saw the rink as an ‘enjoyable experience’, but objectors called the proposals ‘tacky and expensive’, with the construction work likely to increase traffic in the area.

A previous application for the ice rink was withdrawn in July after it was recommended for refusal, with concerns raised over the impact on the setting of Windsor Castle and its proximity to mature trees.

This application looks to address these concerns by ‘slightly altering the proposed layout and number of attractions and by providing additional supporting information’, the report said.

Plans for 101 homes in Ascot

London Square Developments Ltd is seeking planning permission to refurbish an area near Ascot town centre into 101 homes and commercial spaces.

The site is bounded by Ascot’s fire station with Ascot Racecourse and the High Street also nearby.

Three-and-a-half-storey apartment blocks and town houses are planned, with 135 parking spaces.

 A piazza is proposed next to the residential development, along with a large parkland area.

Concerns have been raised about the limited number of three-bedroom affordable homes provided.

But officers said the scheme would be significantly beneficial, with plans for 40 social rented flats.

A previous application for 132 homes on the same site was withdrawn in September

The Windsor and Ascot Development Management Committee will meet at York House in Windsor on Thursday, September 4.