®Planning appeal decision
1 & 2 New Century Place, East Street, Reading, RG1 4ET
Planning appeal 3262741 at 1 & 2 New Century Place, East Street, Reading, RG1 4ET (Reading Borough Council) was allowed on 26 July 2021 by Inspector Hand S, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether the conversion of offices to student accommodation constitutes a material change of use to a sui generis use, or whether it is a lawful change to C3 dwellinghouse use under permitted development rights.
135 self- contained studio apartments in Class C3 dwellinghouse use
- Authority
- Reading Borough Council
- Appeal type
- major · Lawful Development Certificate
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Major dwellings
- Inspector
- Hand S
- Postcode
- RG1 4ET
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the conversion of offices to student accommodation constitutes a material change of use to a sui generis use, or whether it is a lawful change to C3 dwellinghouse use under permitted development rights
What decided it
The buildings, despite being marketed to and occupied primarily by students, are physically and functionally ordinary blocks of flats capable of being let to other demographics and therefore constitute C3 dwellinghouse use rather than sui generis student accommodation.
What the Inspector cited
- Judgments
- Gravesham BC v SSE & O'Brien [1982] 47 P&CR 142
How the Inspector dealt with each one is set out in the app, in order: the development plan, national policy, housing land supply, other considerations and the planning balance, beside the letter.
See how each was appliedThe decision letter
Town Planner Pro holds this letter. The Appeals plan opens it and every other letter we hold, all of them searchable, with the main issues and what decided each case picked out. We do not show letters on the free site because they carry people’s names and addresses.
With an account
What an account adds to this decision
More decisions in Reading Borough Council
The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2021
- Allowed19 October 20266002958Pavement O/S 201 Broad Street, Reading, RG1 7QA
- Allowed19 October 20266002957Pavement O/S 201 Broad Street, Reading, RG1 7QA
- Dismissed19 October 20266002956Pavement O/S The Range,, Vastern Road,, Reading, RG1 8AL
- Dismissed19 October 20266002955Pavement O/S The Range,, Vastern Road,, Reading, RG1 8AL
- Dismissed25 September 2026601462565a Bedford Road, Reading, RG1 7EX
The main issues, what decided it, the planning balance and the policies and judgments listed as cited are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro and are our summary, not the Inspector’s words; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.