Village News

About Turn on the Equestrian Centre at Allmanor

As we reported in the December Newsletter, the RBBC planning committee met in November and voted 16 to 1 (with 2 abstentions) to recommend the development of Allmanor Stables between High Road and Markedge Lane, and to require RBBC planning officers to seek to overcome their previous reasons for refusal. Officers duly did so, but when the RBBC planning committee met again in December, they repeated their earlier view that the site's development would intrude on the Green Belt and should not proceed.

Due to a series of misunderstandings and technicalities, amendments submitted by the applicant in an attempt to allay fears raised at the November meeting were not allowed to be considered.  The main changes were a lowering of the ridge height of the main building (an indoor training school, whose footprint is set by international standards), replacement of a raised bund by the planting of mature trees to better screen the building from a footpath along part of the boundary, and moving the stable block to be further from the roots of mature trees. 

Without considering these amendments and after a lengthy debate, the December planning committee supported the officers and refused the application by 10 to 6 (with 3 abstentions), and so the future of the proposed equestrian centre was not resolved.

As we reported in the November Newsletter, the CRA has taken the view that this proposal would significantly improve the existing semi-derelict site, and that this prestige development would be of benefit to the UK equestrian industry.  However, the CRA feels that the views of certain local residents must be fully addressed, particularly on the issue of visual intrusion.

The applicant and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Visser, have stated their commitment to the site, to which they intend to transfer their existing dressage business from Holland. They aim to settle in the village, having bought the adjoining Priors Field manor house and, after obtaining approvals from the RBBC Heritage Officer, are in the process of restoring it to its original condition. 

It is expected that the applicant will now return with a new application incorporating the various amendments.  If that is their chosen route, the matter might be back before the planning committee in March.  If the planning committee finds the new scheme acceptable, it would then have to be approved by the Secretary of State before becoming a full planning approval that would allow the 10 months or so of site clearance, building and landscaping work to get under way.

The CRA would like to thank Cllr. Richard Wagner for providing details of the December planning committee meeting.