Developer wins homes appeal on old SSE site
A DEVELOPER has won its appeal against Reading Borough Council.
Berkeley Homes had submitted a plan to build 209 homes at the former SSE site on Vastern Road, but the application was refused by the council in April 2021.
The council’s committee rejected the plans because it failed to provide an adequate northsouth pedestrian and cycle travel link between Reading and Caversham.
It also judged the development would overshadow the River Thames, and that Berkeley Homes didn’t give enough information on how it would mitigate the impact on the borough as well as contribute to Reading’s housing needs.
Following an appeal to the government planning inspectorate, the decision has been overturned.
Andrea Mageean, planning inspector, said: “The appeal scheme would deliver a significant amount of new housing on part of an allocated brownfield site, in a highly sustainable location.”
Ms Mageean also judged the pedestrian and cycle route in the developer’s plan to be adequate and said it could be controlled through planning conditions.
The council argues the route would be too narrow and could have an “alleyway feel”.
Although the site is listed for development in the Reading Local Plan, the council said the scheme breached a number of different policies including design, protection of the River Thames and safeguarding amenities for residents.
The developer’s plan also involves demolishing the Reading Power Plant building at 55 Vastern Road, which dates back to 1903 and is locally listed.
Developers can apply to demolish locally listed buildings as they are not given the same protection as nationally listed buildings.
Ms Mageean said locally listed buildings have a “low level or modest degree of significance”, whereas the loss of a nationally listed building would be significant.
The 209 homes will be contained within seven buildings in the development, which would have names associated with the site’s past.
The buildings will range from one to 11 storeys tall, with the tallest containing 78 apartments.
Plans also show a Thameside café and a new link to Christchurch Bridge.
It is understood the council’s planning department is considering its legal options on how to proceed.
■ To view the planning application, visit: planning.reading.gov.uk