MULTIPLE flats could be built on Bath Road, Slough as councillors unanimously agree to delegate powers to a planning manager.

A six-storey residential building – which will provide up to 75 flats – has been proposed on 426-430, Bath Road, Haymill and Lynch Hill, with 74 cycle spaces, around 60 car parking spaces and a mix of one and two-bedroom flats.

Delegating powers to the planning manager enables the officer to determine the application themselves without needing a decision from the planning committee.

The brownfield site is located on the corner of Station Road and Bath Road where it is planned to demolish a national multiple car tyre business and a two-storey office building for the residential block.

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This is the third time the application has been delegated to the planning officer and it was originally planned to have 60 flats instead of 75 – but the applicant and Slough Borough Council made a legal agreement for the building to provide 10 per cent affordable housing and for the applicant to pay £294,902 towards educational provisions.

The applicant, James Iles, said he has revised the plans in order to make better use of the site to add additional 15 units and seven of the 75 flats will be afforadable houses.

The previous application – which was granted outline planning permission in February 2019 – revealed plans for two and three-bedroom flats – but later changed to one and two-bedroom flats in order to add affordable homes.

Councillor Pavitar K. Mann (Labour: Britwell and Northborough), cabinet member for planning and regulation, asked if it was acceptable to provide one and two bedrooms in this location.

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Neil Button, the council’s principal planning officer, said: “Given the shortfall of amenity space and the location of the site is on a very busy and noisy location, we felt that, perhaps, family accommodation wasn’t suited to this specific site.

“We had consideration for the unsuitability of the site for family accommodation coupled with the potential provision of two bed units within the indicative layout in the plans that was submitted, so it could suitable for smaller families but not for larger three bed plus units.”

The application can still be refused if the applicant does not complete his legal agreement with the council by September 2020 unless a longer period is agreed by the planning manager.