A clash between residents and the company that built their homes at a site on the outskirts of Bracknell is set for a resolution.
A clash between residents and Taylor Wimpey, the company behind The Evergreens development on the outskirts of Bracknell, is nearing resolution.
Residents are frustrated that the housebuilder hasn't provided enough parking spaces for the 68 homes it constructed, following the demolition of the vacant Beaufort Park office building.
Compounding the issue, 14 homes were built with extra bedrooms that lacked planning consent, prompting Taylor Wimpey to submit a retrospective planning application to correct these irregularities, which was discussed at Bracknell Forest Council's planning committee in September.
Georgina Cusack, a resident, expressed her anger, stating, “This issue has arisen because Taylor Wimpey fundamentally built homes that don’t match the approved plans. If any one of us had decided to put an internal wall inside our own home, we wouldn’t need planning consent. Yet, here we are unable to sell or remortgage due to mistakes that were not ours.”
She criticized Taylor Wimpey’s resolution plan, insisting that the parking issue should be separated from the approval of the extra bedrooms.
Initially, the developer proposed 10 new parking spaces, including one for a car club. The council deferred a decision to seek an amicable resolution, which will be revisited on Thursday, October 9.
Taylor Wimpey has since revised its proposal, offering an additional parking space for each of the 14 homes. Planning officer Margaret McEvit has recommended this adjustment for approval, stating, “The application proposes the provision of 14 additional parking spaces on site which meets the parking standards.”
McEvit noted that while these spaces will be managed by a management company rather than being on each plot, the proposal adequately addresses residents' concerns and meets the required parking standards.
To view the application, use reference 25/00479/FUL on the council’s planning portal.
James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter
