70 homes approved for Brecks Lane despite an ‘awful lot of concerns’

RMBC’s planning board gave permission to build the houses on a site on Brecks Lane last week.

However, during the meeting, Cllr Sue Ellis said the original application did not meet the basic regulations “in respect of housing spacing standards, garden spacing standards and the number of affordable houses”.

She said there were “an awful lot of concerns from residents” and added: “During this time they had put up an unauthorised fence and an unauthorised huge advert board.

“They either don’t know their business to not come in with a viable development or they just don’t care.”

“I’m disappointed by the quality of the development.”

Of the 70 homes, a council report says one in four will be classed as “affordable housing” – one two-bed bungalow, nine two-bed semis, seven three-bed semis and one four-bed semi.

Cllr Ellis said because of the ageing population the one proposed bungalow should be increased to five.

She also called for the developer to consider a “solar power scheme” for all the houses except the “very least” affordable ones, partly due to the cost of living crisis.

However, Emma Ottewell, planning officer at RMBC, told the committee that the council did not “have the ability, through policy, to require those units to have to have a certain level of solar power provision”.

The development was recommended for approval and was approved by eight votes to one.