Fate of major housing plan Portland Gardens in Marlow decided tonight

Developer Crest Nicholson’s proposal to transform Portland Gardens – behind Marlow High Street – into a large scale residential area will be heard by Wycombe District Council from 6.30pm.

Council officers have recommended the project for refusal for several reasons including its design, the amount of affordable housing, parking layout and lack of amenity space.

If the planning committee wants to go against the recommendation to refuse the application and give it the green light, the session will have to be deferred to a later date to allow the public to speak on the plan.

Developers strongly disagree with the criticism of their project, and have hit back at WDC over the time it has taken to rule on the application, which was originally submitted in August and has since been revised.

In a strongly worded letter to WDC’s planning department, Crest Nicholson’s regional chairman Tim Beale has slammed the “unfathomable” length of time it has taken to determine the plan.

And the developer says it will appeal “immediately” if the recommendation for refusal is followed by councillors on the committee.

He added that the team are “very confident” on their proposals and said Crest will appeal any refusal immediately.

Portland Gardens lies to the west of High Street and South of West Street, and has already been earmarked for housing by WDC

All but six of the existing properties on the largely unused site will be demolished if the housing plan for 69 homes gets the green light.

However, WDC’s planning officers say in their advice to councillors that the plans go against existing guidance on the site.

They state: “The development would be contrary to the development plan in a number of respects and contrary to the supplementary planning documents including the Portland Development Brief.”

Residents and groups including the Marlow Society have spoken out in opposition to the plans on the plot, which was formerly the subject of a failed attempt to build a Waitrose store.

Fears centre over the layout of the site and the suitability for its town centre location, with some complaints arguing for added pedestrian access.

And the number of parking spaces has been called into question, with worries cars from the new estate will spill out onto Marlow’s already crowded road network.

But letters of support have also been sent to the council expressing the need for more housing in Marlow.

The hearing takes place at WDC’s offices on Queen Victoria Road on Wednesday, April 8 at 6.30pm.