PLANS to demolish a warehouse for 12 homes could be thrown out this week over green belt fears.

Developer Shanly Homes have been trying for years to demolish the 1940s Bellman Hanger in Shurlock Row near Maidenhead in order to build houses.

Its revised scheme involves building nine four-beds and three three-bedroom family homes with 33 car parking spaces.

Three of the homes are proposed to be affordable which falls below the council’s 30 per cent policy by just five per cent.

But, like the previous schemes, planning officers were still concerned the homes will impact the openness of the green belt and would represent an overdevelopment of the site. They also believed the developer has not demonstrated a ‘very special circumstance’ exists to justify the loss of the green space.

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A petition that was signed by 273 residents, and received backing from council leader Andrew Johnson (Con: Hurley & Walthams), urging officers to block the scheme.

Officers recommended to councillors sitting on the Maidenhead development management panel to refuse the scheme on those grounds. The meeting will take place on Wednesday, August 17.

Shanly Homes have been trying to redevelop the site since 1992 and have submitted numerous plans, most of which were withdrawn or refused.

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Before this plan, the developer tried to build 13 homes but was refused for similar reasons.

It tried to overturn that decision via an appeal, believing the houses would improve the site and the need for family homes outweighs the harm to the green belt.

But Shanley Homes withdrew the scheme before it was to be heard by the independent planning inspector with no reason stated.