West Windsor mushroom farm won't become new homes and flats

Outline plans to demolish “ugly” storage buildings at the Oakley Green Mushroom Farm in Oakley Green to build four one-beds, five two-beds, 13 three-beds, and seven four-bedroom homes.

Developer Westbourne Homes were asking for access, layout, scale, and the principle of development to be considered at this stage. However, planning officers recommended refusal, believing it will impact the openness of the greenbelt and the area's rural character.

The plans were meant to be decided by the Maidenhead development management panel in August but members wanted additional information if the site was in danger of more undesirable warehouses being built.

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Planning officers said at Wednesday’s meeting that a developer could do this but did not change their recommendation for refusal.

Speaking on behalf of the developer, Allison Knight maintained her stance that this development will “enhance” the greenbelt with public open space and make the best use of a site that has “unattractive” buildings on it.

Objectors also feared the site will add more traffic to the busy A308 and increase air pollution, which is already poor on that stretch of the key link road.

Cllr David Coppinger (Con: Bray), who supported the scheme at August’s meeting, said he still supports the plans, saying the homes will improve the “tatty” site.

But Cllr Leo Walters (Con: Bray) said there was “no doubt about it” that the spread of the two-storey homes and 2.5-storey apartments across the site will have a greater impact on the greenbelt.

He said: “[The warehouses] have a neutral impact on the greenbelt. They look agricultural, which of course they are, and they do look dilapidated but once again, if things look dilapidated, that’s not an excuse to tear them down.”

Cllr Mandy Brar (Lib Dem: Cookham and Bisham) said the development would “urbanise” the site, while Cllr John Baldwin (Lib Dem: Belmont) was “disappointed” in the developer’s lack of progress in addressing concerns, such as not surveying the development’s impact on Great Crested Newts.

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Meanwhile, Cllr Geoff Hill (TBFI: Oldfield) feared the panel was in danger of “bending the rules” of sacrificing greenbelt land when they shouldn’t as the adopted borough local plan is meant to protect greenbelt land from speculative development.

A majority of councillors voted to refuse the application on Wednesday, November 16. Cllrs Coppinger and Gurpreet Bhangra (Con: Boyn Hill) abstained from the vote.