Councillors reject plans to build homes on former Squires Garden Centre site

A controversial planning application to build homes on the site of a former garden centre has been refused by councillors.

Plans to build a 37-home development on the site of the vacant Squires Garden Centre in Maidenhead Road were unanimously rejected by councillors on the Windsor Area Development Control Panel.

Councillors on the panel were opposed to the development, which would be built on the greenbelt.

Cllr David Hilton (Con, Ascot and Sunninghill) said: “Whoever designed this plays too much Monopoly because these houses are little boxes with very little design merit at all.

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but they must try harder.

“This is woefully inadequate in terms of landscaping; it’s dominated by cars.”

The proposal include two blocks of flats, two or three storeys high, two detached houses, eight semi-detached houses and terrace of four homes.

The developer intended for 11 of the homes on the site to be affordable.

Criticising the amount of landscaping in the plans, Cllr Christine Bateson (Con, Sunningdale and Cheapside), said: “There’s no common ground for children to play on.”