®Planning appeal decision
Thambury Gate, Curridge Green Riding School, Curridge Green, Curridge Thatcham, RG18 9EA
Planning appeal 6005140 at Thambury Gate, Curridge Green Riding School, Curridge Green, Curridge Thatcham, RG18 9EA (West Berkshire) was dismissed on 26 June 2026 by Inspector B Astley-Serougi, following a hearing. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether the appeal site is a suitable location for the appeal scheme, including whether the appeal building was suitable for conversion having regard to local policies.
Retrospective: Change of use from riding school to dwelling
- Authority
- West Berkshire
- Appeal type
- Planning
- Procedure
- Hearing
- Development
- residential
- Inspector
- B Astley-Serougi
- Postcode
- RG18 9EA
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the appeal site is a suitable location for the appeal scheme, including whether the appeal building was suitable for conversion having regard to local policies
- The effect of the appeal scheme on the character and appearance of the surrounding area including whether it conserves and enhances the natural beauty of the North Wessex Downs National Landscape (NWDNL)
- The consequences of a refusal of permission for the appellant
What decided it
The harm to the character and appearance of the surrounding area and the natural beauty of the NWDNL, combined with the unsuitability of the location for conversion, outweighed the benefits of the scheme.
The benefits of the scheme, including significant weight given to the PSED consideration of providing a home for a person with a protected characteristic, did not clearly outweigh the great weight harm to the NWDNL and the substantial weight harm regarding the suitability of the location, so the appeal was dismissed.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy DM1Policy DM1(i)(i)Policy DM24Policy SP2Policy SP7
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 11Paragraph 8
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
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The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2026
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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.