A landowner has been accused of breaching planning rules for a house that is currently being built in Woodley.
The new four-bedroom home is currently being built on the garden of a house in South Lake Crescent, which backs onto The Close.
Planning permission for the two-storey house was granted by Wokingham Borough Council in May 2022.
A planning officer, recommending approval at the time, wrote: “Overall, the proposed subdivision of the existing plot and construction of a new two storey dwelling is considered acceptable subject to conditions that the proposed materials to match those of the existing dwellings in the area and the ridge height of the new dwelling will not be more than the ridge height of the host dwelling.”
Work began on the site months afterwards, with street view imagery from that November showing temporary metal fencing being put up where part of the hedge of the existing home used to be.
Once complete, the house will contain an open plan kitchen and lounge on the ground floor, along with a separate living room and study, a double bed ensuite with two single beds and a bathroom on the first floor, and a double bed in the loft.
But the housebuilders could be in trouble after a request was made for Wokingham Borough Council’s planning department to investigate an alleged breach of approved plans for the new house.
The project was approved on the condition that details of the external materials used, boundary wall and fencing, draining, electric vehicle charging, landscaping and cycle parking details all be approved at a later stage.
These were approved in July 2023.
However, a report has been made that at least one of these conditions is not being complied with.
The serving of a planning enforcement notification was acknowledged at a meeting of Woodley Town Council’s planning and community meeting on Tuesday, May 20.
During the meeting, it was noted that council planning officers have been asked to investigate the alleged breach.
Outcomes can vary from enforcement requiring demolition of any new structure and the restoration of the land to how it was, to enforcement officers determining that no breach of planning rules had happened.
It can also result in the builder voluntarily complying with orders, or the notice being revoked as not being expedient to enforce.
Applicants can also appeal against enforcement notices to the government’s planning inspectorate.
You can view the approved applications by typing the references below into Wokingham Borough Council’s planning portal.
Reference 220550 relates to the plan for the new home, with reference 231425 relating to the detailed plans the applicant had to submit.
