Bucks planning round-up: Space for new businesses approved in Marlow

Here are the latest, most significant planning applications and decisions in Marlow and Bourne End.

To see all documents, enter their reference numbers into Buckinghamshire’s planning portal at publicaccess.buckinghamshire.gov.uk

Approved: Two small commercial units will be built at Rose Industrial Estate in Marlow Bottom.

The scheme involves a single-storey building in the north-west corner of the estate, containing two units that could be used for offices, light industrial work or storage.

The estate sits on Marlow Bottom Road, and the new building will be placed on a flatter section of land – currently an area of hardstanding not used for any commercial activity.

Planning documents say the building will be modest in size and designed to sit within the existing business estate rather than expand it.

The units are intended to support new small businesses moving into the area. The wider site is already used for commercial purposes and is surrounded mainly by housing.

Parking across the estate is shared between businesses. There are currently 76 spaces in total, of which 62 are regularly used.

The proposal removes seven of the spaces where the building will be constructed but adds two new ones for the units themselves.

Buckinghamshire parking standards require one space for light industrial or storage uses, meaning the scheme meets the requirement.

Nonetheless, it leaves a net loss of five spaces, leaving 71 spaces in total.

Planning documents say this still leaves spare capacity, with nine spaces expected to remain unused – accommodating any additional demand if the units are occupied as offices.

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Acknowledged: BT has notified the council of 9m pole to carry broadband cables near Taplow Lake.

Telecoms operators have certain national rights to install infrastructure needed to build and maintain communications networks.

In this case, the company intends to place a single pole in the grass verge to support broadband apparatus near to Wey Lodge in Amerden Close.

The notification forms part of a process required when operators intend to rely on permitted development rights (PDR); national planning rules that allow some types of development to go ahead without needing full planning permission.

Telecoms equipment such as cabinets, poles and masts can often be installed under these rules, provided certain conditions are met.

As part of the process, BT asked whether any Article 4 directions apply – these are used by councils to remove PDR in a specific area.

If one were in place, the operator might need to apply for full planning permission, which give council more scope to say no.

No Article 4 direction affects the site in Amerden Close.

If the pole meets the PDR rules (for example, highway safety), BT can proceed without making a further planning application.

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Approved: A ‘valued’ and established dental practice in Bourne End has been approved a new staff welfare building at its site.

The proposal is for a stand-alone single-storey structure at the rear of Clayfield House in Station Road, which operates as Bourne End Dental.

Clayfield House is a large two-storey building west of Station Road (A4094) and forms an established dental practice serving the local area. Parking is provided at the front of the site, with a larger car park to the rear.

The practice employs a team of 27 people, including dentists, hygienists, nurses and administrative staff, and contains seven treatment rooms along with specialist facilities such as a digital X-ray room and sterilisation area.

Planning documents say the practice currently has no dedicated breakout space for employees. Staff instead use an upstairs waiting room for breaks and meals.

The new facility will provide a separate area where employees can rest and eat during the working day.

The modular building will measure about 8.5m by 3.9m and will sit next to the main building at the back of the site.

It will be screened from wider views by the dental practice itself and by tall boundary walls, fencing and vegetation around the property.

The applicant, Portman Dentex, said the welfare room would improve facilities for staff but would not increase the number of employees or patients at the site.

As a result, planning documents say the development is not expected to lead to any additional vehicle movements or changes to the practice’s opening hours.

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Refused: Plans to build five homes on the site of a fitness studio in Wooburn Green have been turned down by the council.

The proposal sought to redevelop the site Wyebridge House in Cores End Road with two new residential buildings containing five homes with nine parking spaces.

Three of the homes would have been family houses with three bedrooms and rear gardens, while the remaining two would have been flats.

The site currently contains a two-storey detached building with a showroom and a personal fitness studio offering physiotherapy services.

Planning documents described the scheme as a way of making use of an ‘under-utilised site’.

Because it is more fitness studio rather than a healthcare service, it does not count as using a community facility – which would be a cause for concern for the local authority.

An earlier application to convert the existing building into five homes was approved in July 2024, but that never ended up happening.

However, the council said this new scheme’s ‘excessive size’ would cause ‘significant harm’ to the character of the surrounding area.

A second reason for refusal related to flood risk. Officers said not enough information had been provided to show how surface water from the development would be managed.

The council also said the application failed to properly demonstrate that the legally required biodiversity improvements would be delivered.

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Pending: A listed building application has been submitted to carry out repairs on the roof at a historic building.

Meadowsweet, 16 Church Walk, forms part of a pair of mid-19th-century cottages at numbers 16 and 18 Church Walk, which are Grade II listed due to their architectural and historic interest.

The cottages were built in 1855, with date plaques still visible on their façades.

An inspection identified several defects affecting the structure and weatherproofing; the roof covering has damaged, missing and unsuitable tiles, as well as incorrect joins and historic damage in the timber structure.

Works would involve removing the existing roof coverings and replacing them with handmade clay tiles designed to match the original in colour and appearance. Historic details would be retained and reused wherever possible.

Repairs would be carried out using ‘sistering’ techniques, whereby new timbers are fixed alongside existing ones to strengthen the structure while keeping the historic material in place.

Additional improvements are also proposed to insulation and ventilation to reduce condensation and improve energy efficiency.

The intention is to retain original materials wherever possible and replace elements only where they are beyond repair.

Overall, the report concludes the proposals would have a neutral to minor beneficial impact on the listed building – as opposed to a harmful one – by preventing further deterioration and helping secure its long-term preservation.

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