Land Between 75 and 99 Star Road, Caversham, Reading, RG4 5BE

Planning appeal 6007941 at Land Between 75 and 99 Star Road, Caversham, Reading, RG4 5BE (Reading Borough Council) was dismissed on 23 September 2026, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether the site is suitable for the proposed development, having regard to the risk of flooding, and whether future occupiers would be safe from flood events.

Construction of a terrace of four 3-bedroom 2.5 storey dwellings, parking, and hard and soft landscaping

Authority: Reading Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning
Procedure: Written
Development: residential
Postcode: RG4 5BE

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether the site is suitable for the proposed development, having regard to the risk of flooding, and whether future occupiers would be safe from flood events
Whether the scheme would be well designed, having regard to the scale, bulk and appearance of the dwellings; the adequacy of amenity space; and the protection and/or provision of trees and landscaping
Whether safe access and egress could be provided
Whether the scheme would provide an adequate contribution towards affordable housing
The effects of the scheme on biodiversity

What decided it

The development would not be safe for its lifetime in flood risk terms and would increase flood risk elsewhere, combined with poor design quality, inadequate access safety, and failure to secure affordable housing contributions, which together substantially outweigh the benefits of housing delivery in a location with acknowledged supply shortfall.

The benefits of approving the development—sustainable location, efficient land use, modest housing contribution in context of supply shortfall, adequate biodiversity net gain, and construction phase economic boost—were substantially outweighed by the totality of adverse effects: flood risk to occupiers and displacement of flood risk, poor design quality, inadequate amenity space, unsafe access and egress, and failure to contribute to affordable housing.

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies: Policy EN18Policy CC7Policy H10Policy EN14Policy TR3Policy H3Policy EN12
Judgments: Holborn Studios Ltd v CLBH [2017] EWHC 2823

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.

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