A well-loved children’s nursery will be ‘saved’ under fresh plans to redevelop a trading estate for new homes – but other properties on site could face demolition.
Shanly Homes has submitted to Bucks Council a new outline planning application for the Highbury Works (Unit One), and properties 12 and 13, on Inkerman Drive, in Hazlemere.
Plans detail the ‘demolition of the existing buildings and the erection of three detached and 14 semi-detached two-storey properties’ – 17 in total.
PICTURED: Existing and proposed.
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There will be 12 three-bed, four two-bed, and one four-bed houses, according to council documents.
Site access will be from Inkerman Drive and Chestnut Lane.
PICTURED: New housing appearance.
PICTURED: New site layout.
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In April 2020, residents slammed plans for 21 new houses proposed by Shanly Homes, fearing the loss of The House That Jack Built nursery, as well as subsequent traffic and noise.
Despite calls at the time to rehome the nursery somewhere within the new site, property consultants said Shanly’s plans would not be “viable” if they did that.
However, the retention of the nursery “has been incorporated” into the new layout, following council feedback, as have “landscape buffers” to “reduce the impact of parking”.
“The existing nursery…will be retained and still accessed from Chestnut Lane,” a design and access statement reads.
There are 70 parking spaces on site, the new development will have 37.
Under previous plans, residents and business owners complained that turning the site into a housing estate would see a rise in noise and traffic.
One worker also said at the time there are several businesses employing tens of people – some with commercial leases until 2023.
However, someone else argued the trading estate is “poorly positioned”, adding they had suffered “excessive noise levels”, and “smelly chimney smoke” blowing over their property.
“The proposed redevelopment to residential use will bring the site in line with the surrounding area,” a design and access statement reads.
The applicant is now awaiting a decision from Bucks Council.
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