Maidenhead: New homes approved for Harvest Hill Road

A motion to defer was defeated by councillors, with the committee subsequently voting to approve planning permission

More than 200 new homes have been approved despite concern from some councillors.

The residential development planned for Maidenhead would feature 140 houses and 75 apartments.Members of the Maidenhead Development Management Committee voted to grant planning permission for the project on land south of Harvest Hill Road.

The land had been earmarked for development as part of the Borough Local Plan (BLP).

The BLP has been adopted by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council to ensure that new housing is supported by suitable infrastructure, including the roads, schools, leisure, parks, open spaces and community facilities.

But Conservative group leader councillor Maureen Hunt said approving the new homes, was "premature".

"There are some things that still need to be looked at very carefully," she said.

A suggestion to defer the application was defeated, with the committee subsequently voting to approve planning permission.

Councillor Joshua Reynolds said: "I'm disappointed that this is an application we have to consider because I didn't want this site to be taken out of Green Belt in the first place and included in the BLP.

"From my perspective, we are at a place where we've got to make a decision, and I think the decision we have to make on this is a positive determination."There will be a mix social housing and shared ownership properties at the site.The plans include 387 parking spaces, with separate courtyards set to hold parking spaces for the apartment blocks.