Student housing in Reading that has been vacant for years can be transformed into new housing following a planning appeal.
Trinity Hall is a prominent three-storey building standing at the junction of South Street and Sidmouth Street near the town centre.
The building previously served as halls of residence for students, but it has been vacant for more than a decade, closing in 2014.
Since then, it has been damaged by arson and vandalism and left unkept.
The developer Hanslink applied to revitalise and extend the building to create a three-bed flat, 10 two-bed and seven one-bed flats, making a total of 18 homes.
But the project was rejected by Reading Borough Council’s planning department due to a lack of affordable housing and the size of the development.
However, Hanslink has successfully got that decision overturned in an appeal to the government’s planning inspectorate.
The appointed inspector Nick Davies acknowledged the council’s argument that there is a need for affordable housing, but ultimately sided with Hanslink’s view that the affordable housing could not be provided due to financial viability.
Mr Davies was satisfied that a ‘unilateral undertaking’ agreement by Hanslink and later financial contributions to affordable housing would be acceptable.
He wrote: The appellant’s unilateral undertaking would secure obligations requiring a financial contribution of £100,000 towards off-site affordable housing, together with a late-stage review mechanism (LSR).
The LSR would ensure that if the scheme produced a surplus that could contribute towards affordable housing, a deferred financial contribution could be secured.
The council has confirmed that these obligations overcome one of the reasons for refusal.
Furthermore, Mr Davies supported the revitalisation and extension project, finding that the building would not be visually dominant.
Both Hanslink and the council submitted applications for legal costs for procedural matters during the appeal.
Ultimately, Mr Davies ordered the council to pay the costs to Hanslink following the hearing on March 24.
In a report on the decision, Steve Vigar, the council’s planning applications team leader, wrote: “Although it was disappointing to have the appeal allowed, the inspector’s support of the demonstrable need for affordable housing in the borough is welcome, also, importantly his support of the council’s approach to securing affordable housing contributions through a deferred payment mechanism should financial conditions improve during the course of the development.”
You can view the now-approved project by typing reference PL/24/1079 into the council’s planning portal.
The result of the appeal was noted at the planning applications committee meeting on April 29.
