Councillors give green light to re-develop land at Silwood Park

Royal Borough councillors have given the green light to build more than 20 apartments on land at Silwood Park in Sunninghill.

The application by Beechcroft Developments Ltd and NSS IV (Investments) Ltd looked to change the use and refurbish the Grade II listed Silwood Manor at Silwood Park and the attached stables to provide 21 apartments.

The plans also proposed the retention, refurbishment and extension of Silwood Lodge.

A total of 14 new homes are set to be built within the grounds of Silwood Park, following the demolition of the current outbuildings, including parking, access and landscaping.

The existing site access from London Road will be reused.

At a meeting of the Windsor and Ascot Development Management Committee at York House on Thursday, November 14, councillors debated the application and Cllr Sayonara Luxton (Con, Sunningdale and Cheapside) raised concerns over traffic.

She asked if the development were permitted, whether the developer could introduce traffic calming measures in the area to ease traffic congestion and if a condition could be implemented for plan to manage vehicle movement from the site.

James Overall, principal planning officer, said the site is currently classed as a learning and non-residential institutions site.

While the site is vacant, if it were to be re-used under this class, it could result in 380 two-way traffic movements per day, he explained.

Whereas the proposed development, with a net gain of 35 residential units, would result in 40 two-way traffic movements per day.

He added: “It's considerably lower than what the site is capable of doing, although obviously the site is vacant so it's minimal at the moment.

“Also, it's worth noting that our highways officers have assessed the existing access, which is to be retained into the site, and they feel that it's capable of hosting the traffic that would be generated by the dwellings that are proposed.”

Cllr Luxton called for a plan to be introduced to manage the movement of construction vehicles during the housebuilding phase.

Adrien Waite, assistant director of planning at the Royal Borough said the council does not impose construction and vehicle management plans on planning permissions because the authority ‘can’t control the movement of vehicles over the public highway’.

“Generally, where people do try and impose them, to be honest, they’re not worth the paper they’re written on and they give false reassurance to residents because the reality is, they’re impossible to actually enforce, monitor or manage or do anything about.

“The applicant and the drivers are perfectly entitled to drive on public highway whenever they like.”

Cllr Luxton added: “I think it’s worth to look into it because it is quite important.

“That road – there are accidents happening and there are lots of things.

“Last couple of years, five people died over there [in the London Road area]. There are four [or] five schools going that way, so it’s going to be a problem in the mornings and four o’clock in the afternoon.

“These are the only two times I would say you would look to consider, if possible, to do that.”

Cllr Neil Knowles (Ind, OWRA) echoed the sentiments to call for a plan.

Mr Waite advised against putting it as a condition but suggested an informative note to encourage ‘appropriate management of traffic’ at the site.

He stated that ‘any developer’ will already have a construction management plan in place.

The application, with an informative note for workers to avoid, if possible, traffic around the site during the school traffic times was passed unanimously.