Skip to content

7 Eastern Avenue, Reading, RG1 5RU

PL/26/0114Full planning permissionRefused
Full

Refused on 8 July 2026

Council decision: RefuseDelegated (officer decision)2 reasons for refusal

Approximate location: the centre of the postcode, not the exact property.

Proposal

Proposed Change of Use of C3 (Dwellinghouses) to C2 (Residential care home)

Received
29 January 2026
Decision level
Delegated (officer decision)
Ward
Park Ward
  1. Received29 Jan
  2. Validated12 Feb
  3. Consult.13 Mar
  4. Target13 Mar
  5. Decided8 Jul

Decided in 146 days (council typically 56)

About this application

This is a full planning application for a change of use at 7 EASTERN AVENUE, READING, RG1 5RU. Reading has handled 449 applications of this type. This one was decided in 160 days, 15 weeks longer than Reading's typical decision time. The site is in the South Park conservation area, with 1 listed building nearby. There has been 1 other application at this address. In the past year there have been 41 applications across Park Ward. We hold 481 applications in total for the RG1 postcode area.

89% of full applications at Reading Borough Council were approved. Across all application types, the council typically decides in about 8 weeks (median).

Based on decided applications received in the last 3 years.See what's approved near your address

Why it was refused

  1. The proposed development, by reason of the creation of three off-street parking spaces, together with associated cycle and refuse storage, fencing within the front curtilage, and the reduction of outdoor space associated with the use, would result in a visually intrusive, vehicle-dominated and cluttered frontage that would erode the landscaped and spacious character of the site, and reduces the useable outdoor space resulting in a poor quality of outdoor space. The proposal would fail to make a positive contribution toward the South Park Conservation Area, and diminish the contribution made by the front garden to the character and appearance of the South Park Conservation Area and would fail to preserve or enhance its significance. The proposal is therefore contrary to Policies CC7, EN3, EN6, and H10 of the Reading Borough Local Plan, the South Park Conservation Area Appraisal (2008) (paragraphs 5.2 and 6.1), Section 72(1) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, and paragraphs 135(c), 212 and 215 of the National Planning Policy Framework.
  2. The proposed development, by way of its overprovision of car parking, would erode rational transport choices, and discourage modal shift in a highly accessible location contrary to policies TR1 (Achieving the Transport Strategy) and TR5 (Car and Cycle Parking and Electric Vehicle Charging) of the Reading Borough Local Plan 2019, and the Reading Transport Strategy 2040 (2024) and paragraph 117 of the NPPF (December 2024, as amended).

From the council's decision notice.

Application details

Postcode
RG1 5RU
Application type
Full planning permission
Scale / size
Medium

Planning application dates

Date validated
12 February 2026
Consultation expiry
13 March 2026
Consultation end
13 March 2026
Target decision date
13 March 2026
Application expires
29 May 2026

Planning decision

Statutory period
106 days

Additional information

Planning Portal ID
PP-14661912
Documents
11

Site constraints

Checking the site
2/3
Council recordsAppealsFlood risk

Designations at the address point. Ones next to the site may also apply.

  • Conservation area: South Park
  • Flood zone 1: Low probability (rivers and sea)

Not published by this council, so not checked: Article 4 directions. Ask the council if these matter.

Possibly incomplete for this council: tree preservation orders.

Also checked, none recorded (21)

flood storage areas, listed buildings, green belt, scheduled monuments, World Heritage Sites, World Heritage Site buffer zones, registered parks and gardens, registered battlefields, Heritage at Risk entries, nutrient neutrality catchments, national parks, National Landscapes, SSSIs, Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas, Ramsar sites, ancient woodland, national nature reserves, local nature reserves, heritage coasts and brownfield registers.

A guide only, from official open data; it is not a planning search. Flood zones cover rivers and sea, not surface water.

Data © Crown copyright and others · sources and licences

Contains public sector information from planning.data.gov.uk (MHCLG and local planning authorities), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

© Historic England 2026. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. The Historic England GIS Data contained in this material was obtained on 2026-11-03. The most publicly available up to date Historic England GIS Data can be obtained from HistoricEngland.org.uk.

© Natural England copyright. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

© Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2026. All rights reserved. Flood Map for Planning, Open Government Licence v3.0.

Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Source: Reading

Track this application

Get email alerts when there is a planning decision or status change.

Get email alerts near RG1

New planning applications delivered to your inbox daily.

Around this site

Discuss this application on r/PlanningPermissionUK

For applicants and trades

What's been approved on your street?

See what the council approved and refused near this address for the project you have in mind, and the rules that apply here.

Get The Signal Report