24/01165/OUT – Bow Brook Farm, Vyne Road, Bramley
Outline planning application for the construction of 50 dwellings with all matters reserved except for access
Bramley Parish Council strongly objects to the above planning application, for the following reasons:
- Local Plan Update – there is no identified need for further homes in Bramley. The emergent Local Plan Update states explicitly that Bramley has met and exceeded its target already with recently granted planning permissions, and therefore has a zero requirement.
- It should be noted that Bow Brook Farm will not be a strategic site within the emerging Local Plan Update.
- The application states that BDBC does not currently have a 4 year land supply. However, BDBC currently has a 4.2 year land supply, so this is not accurate.
- Local Plan Policy SS6 – the proposed development is outside the settlement policy boundary, which is against Local Plan policy SS6. It will also be an isolated development, with difficult access to public transport and local amenities. This is also against Local Plan policy SS6, as well as Bramley Neighbourhood Plan policies H1 and H2.
- Bramley Neighbourhood Plan policy T2 – access onto the already busy Vyne Road will be an issue – the access will pull out onto a 60mph road.
- Bramley Neighbourhood Plan policy RE2 – vegetation will need to be cut back to enable clear visibility at the site access point, which will detract from the rural aspect of the area.
- Bramley Neighbourhood Plan policy T2 and RE2 – the proposed footway from the site to Silchester Road will also detract from the rural nature of the area, and will be in apart along a 60mph road – not very safe for pedestrians. The proposed footpath will also affect private properties along Vyne Road (particularly Lime Tree Cottage), which will compromise the proposed path.
- Bramley Neighbourhood Plan policy RE2 – the southern rural gateway into Bramley will be adversely affected.
- Bramley Neighbourhood Plan policies D1 and RE2 – the proposed development will adversely affect views and listed buildings within the Conservation Area.
- Park Copse and Bowling Alley Copse border the proposed site, so the proposed development will remove the possibility of overlooking these Copses from the Conversation Area and Tudor Farm.
- Local Plan – Bramley has taken 461 new houses since the start of the current Local Plan period, well in excess of the 200 stated in the plan. This does not include the strategic sites at Vyne Park and Upper Cufaude Farm, which will be 665 total at strategic sites in the south of the parish.
- There are at least 70 additional houses at planning application stage, including this application.
- The Thames Water statement is incorrect – there are major issues with sewerage in Bramley. There has been much correspondence for planning applications 21/03758/OUT and 23/02868/RES for Stocks Farm re the lack of sewerage capacity. Bramley Parish Council has recently received confirmation from the Thames Water senior engineer in charge of the Bramley project that they plan to make reference to planned upgrade works needing to be complete before they will accept more homes.
- Local Plan policy CN6 – there is not the infrastructure to support another 50 homes – the Doctors surgery is full, the school is full, and there is not much public transport outside of the railway station, for which there is no parking. Planners should be aware of the Bramley Infrastructure Report of 2019 – https://bramley-pc.gov.uk/planning-applications/bramley-infrastructure-report-october-2019/ . Matters have not improved since this report was compiled.
Bramley is not in a position to accept yet more development in a Parish where the local infrastructure is already severely strained due to previous developments. Bramley Parish Council strongly believe that this application has to be refused. It is not giving any benefits to the community of Bramley, and Bramley does not have the infrastructure to support the housing. It is against policies H1 and HS of the Neighbourhood Plan, and not in accord with policy T1 concerning road safety. It will have a significant impact on the rural setting of Vyne Road. Therefore, Bramley Parish Council strongly objects to this application.
Maxta Thomas
Clerk to Bramley Parish Council