Windsor planning round-up: Peascod St flats declined

In this week's planning round-up: Plans to turn some central Windsor office space to flats were turned down; Eton College wants to make changes to one of its watering holes; and a historic Ascot school may be converted to a mansion.

There is also a plan to put in 26 homes in the Wraysbury greenbelt.

Read more by entering the reference numbers into Windsor and Maidenhead council's online planning portal.

Refused: RBWM has turned down a plan for a change the business space in part of 31 Peascod Street, Windsor from into flats.

The plan was to turn the first, second and third floors into two flats – one 39sqm studio flat and one 79sqm two-bedroom flat.

The application site consists of a five-storey building, the basement & ground floor are a commercial retail unit known as 31 Peascod Street.

The upper floors, currently vacant, are known as 31a Peascod Street and their former was as a health clinic.

Proposals were made under a prior approval process, which means applicants have to meet a set checklist of requirements to gain planning approval.

But RBWM felt the plans did not meet these requirements.

The planning team wrote: “The proposal fails to demonstrate that there would be adequate natural light to all habitable rooms. Flat A does not have a window serving the kitchen.”

They were also concerned there would not be sufficient room to adequately provide refuse storage for the two proposed residential units in conjunction with the existing commercial use.

Without this, there was a chance the proposal could adversely affect the free flow of traffic and highway safety.

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Pending: Eton College is seeking permission to make changes to one of its historic ‘social spaces’ serving food and drink.

Rowlands Tap has long served boys studying at Eton outside of their boarding houses and sports clubs.

It is based within Hodgeson House on the northern end and western side of the High Street. It is a grade II listed building within the conservation area of Eton.

The property was first acquired by Eton College in 1842, then known as the Christopher Inn.

Since its acquisition, it has acted as an informal club serving food and drink to those attending Eton College.

This is one of the ‘very few’ places in the college grounds where boys from different houses can socialise in an informal manner.

Eton College is looking to refurbish Rowlands Tap as part of a five-year plan to improve its boarding houses and shared facilities.

It is hoped that undertaking such works ‘will bring Eton College into the 21st century.’

'Very little' has been done to Tap & Rowlands in the last 30 years, and it is 'beginning to show [its] age and limitations.'

As part of the works, the college wishes to increase capacity and make the property ‘more multifunctional’ to encourage usage ‘less focused upon the sale of alcohol.’

It wants to be ‘more accessible’ to those who do not drink but still wish to socialise with friends.

The college's said its feedback indicated pupils desire more shared spaces for socialisation with other houses or year groups.

“It is important for Eton College … that Rowlands Tap remains in its historical use as a drinking establishment and social inter-house meeting place,” wrote the College.

“The institution of Rowlands Tap is steeped in history and as a result a part of the culture of Eton College.

“The existence of [Rowlands Tap] allows pupils of Eton College to enjoy a well-managed and supervised environment.

“[It] deters anti-social behaviour of students and acts of truancy … Eton pupils would otherwise seek to frequent other drinking establishments in the local area not under Eton management.”

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Pending: A plan is in to put two-storey 10-bedroom mansion in place of the former Hurst Lodge School in Bagshot Road, Ascot.

The whole site is 13.2 hectares.

Originally, the site was home to Earleywood Preparatory School, formed after the grounds of Earleywood House was cut in half by a new road link built by Berkshire County Council at the beginning of the 20th century.

The present owner's family took over ownership of the school in the 1930s, running the school until their retirement 30-odd years later, when the school merged with Stubbington House.

That school continued until 1997, then closed. From then until now, the property has been let to Hurst Lodge School, which then relocated.

It is now available for sale for the first time in 80 years.

The mansion itself is about 1,700sqm. There is also ‘The Lodge’ to the southwest, measuring 83sqm. The site had a dance studio among other ancillary buildings.

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Pending: A plan is in to put in 26 homes on land to the rear of 38 To 80 Coppermill Road, Wraysbury, in the greenbelt.

The land includes a mostly overgrown low level grass land with a mix of Ash and Willow trees.

The flats would be:

- 17 x 4-bedroom dwellings

- 4 x 3-double bedroom dwellings

- 5 x 2-bedroom dwellings

There would also be 767sqm of public open space.

The developers think this will deliver 'a high-quality scheme' that fronts onto Coppermill Road and 'respects the character of the neighbouring residential units and the openness of the greenbelt.'

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