NEW homes have been approved – but the plans left Royal Borough councillors ‘disappointed’ that affordable housing was not viable.

Eighty seven homes with a community centre at the Medina Dairy site on Shirley Avenue, Dedworth, were given the go-ahead by councillors at Wednesday’s Windsor area development management panel.

Independent consultants concluded the site was not capable of affordable housing as it was not financially manageable due to the addition of a community centre.

However, a legal agreement was made between officers and the applicant to revisit the scheme and determine if it’s capable of providing affordable houses in the future by potentially discounting some of the built homes.

A previous application of 89 houses on the site was refused on appeal back in 2018 on the grounds the plans would result in the loss of a community facility and protected trees would be negatively impacted.

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Nick Baker, planning director for Lichfields and the agent for the applicant, argued the revised plans have responded to the previous reasons for refusal in full and the area is predominantly residential with commercial uses on Shirley Avenue no longer needed and not in keeping with the area.

Councillor Wisdom Da Costa (West Windsor Residents Association: Clewer & Dedworth West) put forward a motion to place restrictions on noise and opening hours at the community centre, which would mainly be used for community meetings, prayer and education.

Subject to negotiation, times could be 8am-9pm on Monday to Friday, except for Ramadan when it will be open until 10.45pm, and 9.30am to 3.30pm on the weekends.

Objecting to the plans, councillor Julian Sharpe (Conservative: Ascot and Sunninghill) said: “I think it always was a poor application. It lacks ambition, scale and everything else we would really want for a flourishing borough.

“It seems to me the developers came up with a scheme which deliberately makes the affordable housing unviable.

“They could have easily come up with a more ambitious scheme which would enable affordable housing to be put in there.

“I would be very loathed to approve an application on the basis they may or may not at some stage come up with a multimillion-pound contribution for affordable housing elsewhere in the borough, so I think that’s very poor.”

Councillors approved the plans except for councillors Sharpe and John Bowden (Conservative: Eton and Castle) who voted against.