New storage building at Wilson Primary School, Wilson Road, Reading

“Executive summary 1.1. The school has limited storage space for outdoor equipment. The application is for a storeroom in the playground of the Primary School for the storage of playground equipment, toys and games and school playground paraphernalia. The application is part retrospective as the development is nearly completed other than external rendering and painting.”

“Looking west 3. The Proposal 3.1. REG3 (retrospective) planning permission is sought for a storeroom measuring 3.37m long by 2.91m wide by 2.5m in height. The development is constructed from a single skin of concrete blocks. The storeroom has no windows, has double wooden ledged and braced doors painted white to match the door frame. The roof is finished in EPDM rubber flat roof with white facia board and black gutter and downpipe.”

“The school is not listed nor located within a conservation area.”

“The school is located between Wilson Road and Tofrek Terrace, made up of a series of brick-built buildings mainly fronting Wilson Road, whilst the playground areas are sandwiched between the school buildings and the rear of the gardens of the properties in Tofrek Terrace.”

“By virtue of the subservient nature of the development, the structure is set down and screened from neighbouring views by the existing and original boundary treatment which runs between the school and the rear gardens of residential properties in Tofrek Terrace. The structure does not benefit from windows, does not overlook neighbouring properties or create a feeling of being overlooked or overbearing.”

“The key equalities protected characteristics include age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation. It is considered that there is no indication or evidence that the protected groups have or will have different needs, experiences, issues and priorities in relation to this application. 9.”

“The building is not in a conservation area, nor is the host building listed. External Consultations A planning notice was attached to the school railings outside the main entrance in Wilson Road whilst second notice was placed on a streetlamp column in Tofrek Terrace outside the pedestrian school entrance on 21 st May 2026 and left in place for the statutory 21-day consultation period.”

“No letters of representation have been received. Legal context 6.1 Section 38(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 requires that proposals be determined in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Material considerations include relevant policies in the National Planning Policy framework (NPPF) - among them the 'presumption in favour of sustainable development'.”

“At the meeting the Vice-Chair (in the Chair) informed the Committee that he would write to the Director of Education to ask them to remind schools of their obligation to ensure that planning applications were submitted prior to the commencement of any works and to remind schools that advice could be sought from the Planning department as to whether planning permission was required or not.”

“That, pursuant to Regulation 3 of the Town and Country Planning General Regulations 1992, the carrying out of the development PL/26/0550 (FUL/REG3) be authorised, subject to the conditions and informatives as recommended in the report.”