A clash over extra bedrooms being added to homes at a woodland site near Bracknell has finally been resolved.
The Evergreens is a development of 68 homes at Beaufort Park, situated between Bracknell and Crowthorne.
The development by Taylor Wimpey replaced the office building on site, which lay dormant for its lifetime before being demolished.
Homes started to be completed in 2023, with people moving in after that point.
However, had built several homes with extra bedrooms.
That included 14 homes that Taylor Wimpey built with four bedrooms, adding a bed to three-bedroom properties approved by Bracknell Forest Council’s planning committee in November 2021.
Those purchasers who already live in The Evergreens have been unable to legally remortgage their homes because the existing floor plans do not align with those on their initial mortgage agreements.
It has also meant 14 more parking spaces have been added to the development, with seven of these being created on the access road to The Evergreens.
These adjustments were discussed at a meeting of the council’s planning committee on Thursday, October 9.
Councillor Dorothy Hayes MBE (Conservatives, Winkfield & Warfield East) argued that homeowners had been put in a poor situation by being unable to remortgage.
She said: “It’s appalling to think that these buildings were allowed to get developed and sold in such a way and I hope it doesn’t happen again. ”
The changes were initially discussed at the council’s planning committee last month, where an arrangement of 10 new spaces and a car club space was put forward.
However, this suggestion proved unpopular with The Evergreens residents, so Taylor Wimpey adjusted the parking arrangement plans to contain all 14 of the parking spaces required by the council’s policies.
Cllr Sheila Collings (Green, Binfield North & Warfield West) said: “I understand it is a matter for the applicant and the residents to resolve.
“I hope it goes well because clearly there are some spaces which are further away from the properties than others. So I hope that can be resolved to everybody’s satisfaction.”
Cllr Mary Temperton (Labour, Great Hollands) suggested that councillors should monitor homes when they are put up for sale to ensure they have the correct number of bedrooms in line with approved plans.
She said: “We’re going to have to look at it, because it was 37 houses in this case, which was not an accident, but we also need to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
Cllr Tina McKenzie-Boyle (Labour, Crowthorne) argued ‘a triumvirate’ of the council officers, councillors and the developers themselves should monitor and make sure to ensure homes are built as approved or updated in time.
The adjustments were approved with nine councillors voting in favour and one abstention.
You can view the approved application by typing reference 25/00479/FUL into the council’s planning portal.
