An education company that was recently set up in Reading is in trouble over its signage plans.
The Study Plus tuition centre in Wokingham Road opened in August last year, but signage it has already put up and that it wants to install has been rejected by Reading Borough Council.
That is just one of the applications that have been decided by the council’s planning department recently.
Near the town centre, a Christian homelessness charity has won permission to turn a cafe into a support centre, and changes are on the way to provide more space for a surgery in Whitley.
You can view the decided applications by typing the references in brackets into the council’s planning portal.
Education company in trouble over signage (PL/25/1807)
Study Plus, which took over the Berkshire Cycles building at Cemetery Junction is in trouble with the council over its signage.
The company installed fascia signage without permission around the time it opened last August.
But the council has rejected retrospective permission to keep the sign up owing to its poor quality, which was judged to be detrimental to the area.
Meanwhile, Study Plus also wanted to install a canvas banner, but this was rejected as it was considered a poor-quality installation that would fail to provide a suitable standard of sign suitable for permanent retention.
Cafe set to be taken over by Christian homelessness charity (PL/26/0315)
The Way Ministry has won permission to turn the Cattle Market Cafe in Great Knollys Street into a community support and wellbeing drop-in centre.
A floorplan shows the cafe being repurposed to provide 27 seats, a toilet, a shower and a kitchen for a food bank.
Planning officer Anthony Scoles noted the cafe has been vacant for some time and acknowledged the long-term implications would be limited to up to five years.
Grace Gomez, the leader of The Way Ministry, stated that it will be used as a hub to support people who are homeless.
Redevelopment at surgery in Whitley Wood (PL/25/1853)
Changes are coming to the South Reading Surgery to expand it to provide more space to treat patients.
The surgery occupies the ground floor of a semi-detached building in Whitley Wood Road.
The doctor who owns the building has won permission to expand to create a treatment room and five consultation rooms.
The project will involve the demolition of an existing portacabin to the rear of the surgery, and a reduction in the size of the attached building from a three-bed house to a two-bed flat.
Fresh look for building society (PL/26/0339)
The Leeds Building Society in the town centre has won permission for a fresh look.
The project involves a new shopfront, the replacement of doors and windows and the installation of a new fence in the rear yard.
The plan for the building in Cross Street was approved on May 22.
