Drama unfolded during a debate about a new heating system for a vet’s surgery in a village near Bracknell.
Drama unfolded at a Bracknell Forest planning meeting over an external air source heat pump installed at Mulberry House Vets in Binfield.
Mulberry House Vets has been open in Binfield since September 2024. The surgery took over from the Binfield Surgery, which relocated to the Binfield Health and Community Centre at the Blue Mountain development in August 2023.
Neighbours complained about noise from the external heat pump. An initial plan for a heat pump was rejected by Bracknell Forest Council in June last year, and the vets later submitted a retrospective planning application with mitigation measures in November.
The application was debated after four and a half hours of other business — including a plan for 235 homes at Hayley Green. Councillor Tony Virgo (Winkfield & Warfield East) said: “If you go to America, they all have them outside like that, it just seems very odd that we’ve got legislation to look at this, because they all position them outside their houses don’t they?
Tricia Brown (Labour, Priestwood & Gath) shot back: “Excuse me, but I think that’s a little off the point, can we have serious questions? I want to go home!” Cllr Virgo replied: “We all want to go home, chair!
He continued: “This is a serious question. I mean, I don’t quite understand why we’re looking at this with sound, because in other countries, it is accepted that it is the norm to put air conditioning units outside, and that’s what we’re asking everyone to do. That’s why I just think it’s very odd.”
Jo Male, the assistant director for planning, explained the process: “Yes, it requires planning permission, which is why we’ve received a planning application, and concerns were raised on noise grounds and therefore there’s been a significant negotiation. “That’s the reason that we’ve got an application, it’s because it does require planning permission and there have been issues associated with it. “But officers are satisfied that subject to the measures that have been agreed and will be implemented as secured by the conditions that any past noise instances will be sufficiently mitigated.”
Councillor Patrick Smith (Liberal Democrats, Swinley Forest) pointed out the pump needed permission because it is a larger commercial unit rather than a domestic one. The council received nine objection letters from six different addresses, but planners accepted the proposed mitigation and said officers will carry out a follow-up inspection to check noise conditions are met.
In the end, the retrospective application was unanimously approved at the planning meeting on 15 January. You can view the application on the council planning portal using reference 25/00692/FUL.
James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter
