Councillors beg developer to have a social conscience

They made their surprising pleas after allowing planning permission for the building of five detached houses on the back gardens of homes behind Lakes Lane, Beaconsfield.

Banner Homes has caused uproar among residents and Beaconsfield Town Councillors by avoiding having to build social housing at Lakes Lane despite the fact that it is building a total of 18 houses - more than the limit past which social housing is required.

They've escaped through a legal loophole by gaining planning permission for the two sides of the road at separate times. The building of 13 homes on the adjacent site started in February.

Councillor Jaquetta Lowen-Cooper told the Banner Homes representative Neil Cottrell: "It adds up to 18 whichever way you look at it, and I do think you should shoulder some responsibility to the community. You are a local firm, based in Woburn Green, and you should put something back."

Councillor Roger Reed said: "I do believe you have a moral responsibility to give this some thought. Developers have a right to develop and to make a profit, but I'm very strongly of the view that they have a responsibility to give something back. You've caught us on an issue that we feel very strongly about and I don't want you to take this personally. I would ask you to go back to Banner Homes and ask them to make a contribution in some other way."

A resident of number 67 had addressed the committee and asked them to refuse the plans because her home would be overlooked.

She said: "It will be worse at numbers 67 to 75 but understandably they are not objecting, but if they were not selling their land I feel sure they would be here today."

Councillors said the properties would not be significantly over looked as the new houses would be 35-37 metres from those in Lake Lane. They said that because the development was less dense than others in Beaconsfield they had to agree planning permission.

We will be asking Banner Homes whether they will indeed "give something back." What would you like to see done? Tell us your views

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