Converting offices to flats causes problems

YOUR article on office-to-flat conversions (‘What is the future for business parks’, Newbury Weekly News, April 21) described some of the problems with blocks of flats converted from offices.

Because such conversions do not have to follow most council planning policies there are several issues:

Lack of private space in the open air, eg for children to play in. We found out how important such space is during the Covid-19 lockdowns

Many conversions are sited on business parks or light industrial parks, which can be remote from facilities such as schools and shops and poorly served by public transport

Disturbance from other premises on industrial parks

Poor insulation, leading to high heating bills

Poor noise insulation, as highlighted in your article

Small flat size (minimum size is now just 30 sq m/323 sq ft)

No Community Infrastructure Levy or Section 106 money paid to the council to fund things like school expansion or road improvements. There was no minimum flat size at all for conversions before April 2021 and flats did not even have to have windows.

We do need new homes, of course, and some families are so desperate for a home they’ll accept almost anything.

However, its purpose-built, decent, homes that are really needed. As your article stated, the number of conversions has led to a shortage of office space in West Berkshire.

This has led to the council proposing to allocate green fields for new office development in its Local Plan Review.

For example, on the field between Theale and M4 J12.

So, Government policies have led to unsuitable flats and a shortage of offices.

It would be a big shame if this leads to new office blocks being built in our countryside.

ALAN MACRO

Liberal Democrat councillor for Theale, West Berkshire Council TONY VICKERS

Liberal Democrat spokesman for highways and planning, West Berkshire Council