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161 Oxford Road, Reading

PL/26/0590Listed building consent (Alt/Ext)Refused
Listed building consent

Refused on 26 June 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

Replacement signage

Received
1 May 2026
Decision level
Delegated (officer decision)
Ward
Abbey Ward
  1. Received1 May
  2. Validated1 May
  3. Consult.26 May
  4. Target26 May
  5. Decided26 Jun

Decided in 56 days (council typically 56)

About this application

This is a heritage application for signage at 161 OXFORD ROAD, READING. Reading has handled 47 applications of this type. This one was decided in 56 days. The site is in the Russell Street and Castle Hill conservation area, with 8 listed buildings nearby. There are no previous applications recorded at this address. In the past year there have been 112 applications across Abbey Ward.

95% of heritage 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 signage due to its scale and siting would be an unsympathetic, incongruous and dominant addition that would disrupt the rhythm of the terrace and its character, and the character of the wider conservation area. The proposal results in less than substantial harm to the significance of the heritage asset, with no heritage or public benefits identified to outweigh this harm, contrary to Policies EN1, EN3, EN6 and OU4 of the Reading Borough Local Plan 2019 and Paragraphs 213 and 215 of the National Planning Policy Framework (2024).

From the council's decision notice.

Application details

Application type
Listed building consent (Alt/Ext)
Scale / size
Small

Planning application dates

Date validated
1 May 2026
Consultation expiry
26 May 2026
Consultation end
26 May 2026
Target decision date
26 May 2026
Application expires
26 June 2026

Planning decision

Statutory period
56 days

Additional information

Planning Portal ID
PP-14905047

Site constraints

Checking the site
2/3
Council recordsAppealsFlood risk

Designations that overlap or adjoin the site outline.

  • Conservation area: Russell Street and Castle Hill
  • Listed building: Grade II: 149-169 Oxford RoadOn or next to this site
  • Heritage at Risk Register: Russell Street / Castle Hill
  • Brownfield land register: 149-153 Oxford Road, ReadingRegister site at or near this address · +1 more
  • 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 (18)

flood storage areas, green belt, scheduled monuments, World Heritage Sites, World Heritage Site buffer zones, registered parks and gardens, registered battlefields, 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 and heritage coasts.

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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