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4 Kings Road, Reading

PL/26/0300Full planning permissionRefused
Full

Refused on 22 May 2026

Council decision: RefuseDelegated (officer decision)1 reason for refusal

Approximate site (title boundary)
Boundary © HM Land Registry, © Ordnance Survey · details

This information is subject to Crown copyright and database rights 2026 and is reproduced with the permission of HM Land Registry. The polygons (including the associated geometry, namely x, y co-ordinates) are subject to Crown copyright and database rights 2026 Ordnance Survey AC0000851063. Conditions of use.

Proposal

Proposed Security Shutters

Received
5 March 2026
Decision level
Delegated (officer decision)
Ward
Abbey Ward
  1. Received5 Mar
  2. Validated30 Mar
  3. Consult.22 Apr
  4. Target22 Apr
  5. Decided22 May

Decided in 53 days (council typically 56)

About this application

This is a full planning application at 4 KINGS ROAD, READING. Reading has handled 449 applications of this type. This one was decided in 78 days, 3 weeks longer than Reading's typical decision time. There are no previous applications recorded at this address. In the past year there have been 112 applications across Abbey Ward. We hold 820 applications in total for the RG4 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 proposal by way of its prominent design and unsympathetic materials using solid security shutters covering almost the entire ground floor of the glazed façade would be harmful to and significantly detract from the setting and character of the London Street/Market Place Conservation Area due to creating a visually unattractive barrier and giving the street an unwelcoming, fortified appearance. The provided reasoning for the development is not considered sufficient justification, therefore, there are no identified public benefits to the proposal which would outweigh the harm identified. The proposal would fail to respect, preserve or enhance the character of the Conservation Area, and its significance, and is as such contrary to Policies EN3, EN6 and OU5 of the Reading Borough Local Plan 2019, the Design Guide to Shopfronts SPD 2023 and NPPF Paragraph 219.

From the council's decision notice.

Application details

Postcode
RG4 8DT
Application type
Full planning permission
Scale / size
Small

Planning application dates

Date validated
30 March 2026
Consultation expiry
22 April 2026
Consultation end
22 April 2026
Target decision date
22 April 2026
Application expires
25 May 2026

Planning decision

Statutory period
56 days

Additional information

Planning Portal ID
PP-14757439
Documents
7

Site constraints

Checking the site
2/3
Council recordsAppealsFlood risk

Designations that overlap or adjoin the site outline.

  • Flood zone 3: High 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 (22)

flood storage areas, conservation 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

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