Plans for 14 flats neighbouring Langley school delegated for approval

Controversial plans to build 14 flats at a site neighbouring a school in Langley have been delegated for approval despite concerns over gridlocking, overdevelopment and safety.

At a Slough Planning Committee meeting on Tuesday evening, it was recommended that councillors delegate a planning application to build 14 flats with associated parking and landscaping at a site neighbouring Langley Grammar School to the planning manager for approval.

The site, which is located on the southern side of Reddington Drive and neighbours the school to the east and south, largely comprises of a two-storey detached house, formerly used by the school caretaker.

The application includes the demolition of the caretaker’s house and clearance of some trees, to make way for the construction of a three-storey building with 14 flats, consisting of eight one-bed flats, five two-bed flats and 1 three-bed flat.

A total of 20 parking spaces would also be provided, as well as pedestrian and vehicular access via Reddington Drive, landscaping, and tree planting.

At the meeting Cllr Preston Brooker (Lab & Co-Op, Langley Kedermister) cited several concerns, some of which included overdevelopment, gridlocking, and the noise levels of the roller shutters and called for the application to be rejected or be looked at again.

He said: “Fourteen flats on the site of one house. I will say that again, 14 flats on the site of one house. If that’s not a case of overdevelopment, I don’t know what is.”

“The transport study says three extra rush hour car journeys from 20 parking spaces.

“I don’t think anyone in their right mind would believe there’s only going to be three extra peak hour car journeys from 20 car parking spaces.”

Cllr Brooker added: “When the school is starting and finishing, Reddington Drive is gridlocked and one of my concerns is that they talk about having a bay for deliveries, I think that bay will probably end up getting used by parents as extra parking.”

Officers responded stating that roller shutters ‘do make a bit of noise’, but not ‘significantly’ more than a car driving down the road, and that there is a potential to look at alternative barriers that don’t create noise.

Ben Amey, principal transport planner, explained that the three extra car journeys was an estimate provided by the applicant’s consultant, which officers did not accept because it was based on TRICS survey data for a site he didn’t feel ‘was comparable' with the proposed development.

He added: “However, notwithstanding that, I don’t feel that this development would have a severe impact on the capacity of the surrounding road network.”

Imran Agha, team Leader, Highways Development stated that the impact on traffic is not going to get ‘considerably worse’ with this development.

The Planning Committee voted in favour of the recommendation to delegate the application to the planning manager.