The conversion of a prominent office building in Reading town centre has been rejected due to concerns over flooding.
The Pinnacle, a six-storey office building, stands at a prominent location viewed from Caversham Road.
Occupants of the offices have been listed as occupied by independent advisors Turley, co-working space The Curious Lounge, and data company Precisely.
The building owner, Red Pinnacle, had applied to convert it into 54 one-bed flats and four two-bed flats from ground level to the fourth floor.
Future occupants would have made use of 37 car parking spaces, with four with electric charging capabilities and two disabled spaces, and 48 cycle parking spaces.
Initially, Red Pinnacle wanted to create 70 flats, but plans to create 12 flats on the fifth floor were removed on August 11.
But the project was rejected by Reading Borough Council’s planning department due to the risk of flooding.
A planning officer explained: “The change of use proposal would increase the flooding vulnerability risk of the building.
“The Flood Risk Assessment advises that flooding events will restrict access and egress to the site, and, in these circumstances, residents will be advised to remain in their properties once a flood warning has been issued.”
However, the officer felt that details of flood emergency procedures were lacking.
The conversion project was therefore rejected in August last year.
This prompted Red Pinnacle to appeal against the decision to the government’s planning inspectorate.
The company argued that The Pinnacle would not be at risk of flooding, and measures could be undertaken to keep future occupants safe.
A planning agent stated: “The proposed floors for this ‘change of use’ from office to residential are not at risk of flooding, and these proposals will not increase flood risk at the site or elsewhere.
“In refusing the application, the officer never considered if a condition could overcome any objection.”
They then suggested that a condition laying out a Flood Warning and Evacuation Plan prior to any occupation of the building would be satisfactory to allow the project to go ahead.
However, planning inspector Stuart Willis disagreed, also criticising the flood measures.
Mr Willis wrote: “The Flood Risk Assessment indicates that occupiers would need to seek refuge in the upper floors and remain there.
“The scheme would still introduce additional residents into a flood zone and rely on them staying in communal areas of the building within other properties for the duration of the flood event.
“This is not practical or reasonable, and means residents would not be able to remain in their dwellings until safely evacuated. ”
The appeal was therefore dismissed in March this year.
The dismissal of the appeal will be reported at a meeting of Reading Borough Council’s planning applications committee on Wednesday, April 29.
Planning policy manager Mark Worringham said: “This is an excellent decision which upheld the Council’s reason for refusal relating to flood risk for future occupants in prior approval conversions.”
You can view the rejected application by typing reference PL/25/0929 into the council’s planning portal.
