Pierces Farm Goodboys Lane Mortimer Reading RG7 3AH Data via plota.co.uk

26/01673/PACOU - Prior Approval for Change of Use Awaiting decision

Proposal

Application to determine if prior approval is required for a proposed: Change of Use of Agricultural Buildings to a flexible use within General Industrial (Class B2), Storage or Distribution (Class B8), Hotels (Class C1), Commercial/Business/Service (Class E), Outdoor Sport or Recreation (Class F2(c)), or for the provision of agricultural training. 1 x The dairy building. 205.1m². A typical farm construction of steel frame, concrete block and corrugated cement cladding and roof. A building which housed the milking operation of the dairy farm for more than 40 years. The building consists of the ground floor milking parlour 68m² with a first floor feed loft above 68m², bulk milk tank room 22.5m² and plant room 46.6m² to be converted to Class E(g)(i) (Commercial, Business and Service - Offices) 1 x Agricultural barn. 272m². Typical barn construction of concrete portal frame, corrugated cement roof and partial cladding, concrete floor with partial concrete walls. Doors at one end. To be converted to Class B8 (Storage or Distribution). Data via plota.co.uk

View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

✓
Received
31 Jul 2026
✓
Consultation
12 Aug 2026
Decision
Expected by 30 Oct 2026

Under consideration

No decision has been issued yet. Plota predicted a decision soon after comments close on 6 Oct 2026; it is now day 89.

The consultation period closed on 6 Oct 2026.

Site constraints 3

Grade II listed: Pierce's Farmhouse
List entry 1313023 · The pin is inside its outline
Listed building consent is needed for work that affects the special interest of a listed building, inside or out, on top of planning permission. Setting can be a consideration for buildings nearby; there is no fixed radius.
Historic England ↗
Agricultural land, grade 3b
Not best and most versatile land (grades 1, 2 and 3a). Source: the Predictive Agricultural Land Classification Map (Defra and Natural England, 2025; the Welsh Government's Predictive ALC Map 2 in Wales), a model rather than a site survey. Natural England's Provisional ALC map (1:250,000, 1970s) agrees.
Where development of farmland is needed, policy prefers poorer land over the best and most versatile (grades 1, 2 and 3a). Three sources: Natural England's post-1988 field surveys, which are definitive where they exist; the Defra predictive map for England (2025) and the Welsh Government predictive map, modelled from the soil map with 3a and 3b split; and the 1970s provisional map, which planners and other services still show, coarser and with grade 3 undivided. Where the provisional and predicted grades disagree, treat the predicted grade as the current estimate and expect an application to carry its own survey.
Habitat network: Network Expansion Zone
Where habitat is joined up enough to work as a network. Context, not a constraint on its own.
Not affected
Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · Not green belt · No scheduled monument at the site

Checked on 6 October 2026. Historic England, the Environment Agency, Natural England and council datasets, Open Government Licence. A boundary can run through a site and the council holds the definitive record: confirm with the council before relying on this.

Work with planning data?

Every application in West Berkshire - and every UK council - as a live feed, an API, or a bulk CSV export.

About Plota's data service

Important details

Application type
Prior Approval for Change of Use
Postcode
RG7 3AH
Received
31 Jul 2026
Validated
31 Jul 2026
Ward
Burghfield & Mortimer
Parish
Wokefield Parish Council
Case officer
Show
Target decision
30 Oct 2026
Applicant
Show

Decision outlook

Day 89, past the statutory target. 85% of agricultural works in West Berkshire are decided within thirteen weeks, which runs to 30 Oct 2026; extensions of time are common, and the council need not decide on the day. Last seen undecided on 26 Oct 2026.

Day 8933 days past the 56-day target
67%decided within 8 weeks
76%approved
38decided in the last year

Plota live figures for agricultural works decided by West Berkshire in the last twelve months, from validation. West Berkshire decision record →

Public comments

No public comments yet.

1 neighbour consulted · Last counted 26 Oct 2026

Read the comments on the council site ↗

Consultation & key dates

Comments by
6 Oct 2026
Site or press notice
12 Aug 2026
Statutory expiry
25 Sept 2026
Env. assessment
No
West Berkshire
Planning Authority Score
3.9/10
Below average
#202 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Change of use

West Berkshire is slower than most councils at deciding householder applications, ranking #199 out of 296. Householder applications are slightly more likely to be approved here (93%) than the national average (90%).

Slower than most councils
for householder decisions
These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance
West Berkshire decision statistics
Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026
90%
Overall approval rate
Above avg (87%) #122 of 296
93%
Householder approved
Above avg (90%) #142 of 296
57%
Decided in 8 weeks
Below avg (63%) #199 of 296
46%
Extended time limit
Above avg (41%) #203 of 296
55%
Minor dwellings approved
65 decided (1-9 homes)
96%
Major dwellings approved
25 decided (10+ homes)
77%
Change of use approved
57 decided
1,045
Total decisions
108 refused in the year to March 2026