Merrimoles Farm, Highmoor, Henley-on-Thames, RG9 5DH Data via plota.co.uk

P26/S2656/3R - Prior Approval - Part 3 Class R Approved

Proposal

Change of use of 2no. agricultural buildings to a flexible commercial use falling within Class E (g) (i) and (iii) Data via plota.co.uk

View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

✓
Received
29 Jun 2026
✓
Approved
7 Aug 2026

Approved on 7 Aug 2026 · Delegated · Last checked 24 Sept 2026

Site constraints 4

Chilterns National Landscape
Great weight to conserving the landscape; major development restricted.
Previously an area of outstanding natural beauty, which is still the designation in law. Since 2023 authorities must seek to further its purpose, not merely have regard to it.
Habitat network: Other Priority Habitats - NEZ
Where habitat is joined up enough to work as a network. Context, not a constraint on its own.
Also on the record
Priority habitat about 22 m away: Deciduous woodland; Open access land about 21 m away: Access Land - Combined Open Country, Registered Common Land and Section 16 Dedicated Land. MoD Byelaw, Section 28 Exclusions, Racecourses and Aerodromes and ECP Margin have been removed..
Not affected
Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · Not green belt · No scheduled monument at the site

Checked on 24 September 2026. The pin for this application is the centre of its postcode rather than the building, so distances to nearby designations are measured from the postcode and can be out by the width of the postcode area. 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.

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Important details

Application type
Prior Approval - Part 3 Class R
Postcode
RG9 5DH
Received
29 Jun 2026
Validated
29 Jun 2026
Case officer
Show
Target decision
24 Aug 2026
Decision
Prior Approval Agreed
Decision date
7 Aug 2026
Decision level
Delegated
Applicant
Show
Agent
Raw Planning

How this decision compares

Decided in 39 days from validation, 10 days faster than South Oxfordshire's median of 49 for agricultural works. Approved, as 93% of agricultural works here are.

70%decided within 8 weeks
93%approved
34decided in the last year

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

Public comments

No public comments yet.

Last counted 24 Sept 2026

Read the comments on the council site ↗

Consultation & key dates

Consultation
3 Jul 2026
Comments by
31 Jul 2026
Statutory expiry
24 Aug 2026
South Oxfordshire
Planning Authority Score
7.6/10
Good
#39 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Change of use

South Oxfordshire is faster than most councils at deciding householder applications, ranking #89 out of 296. Householder applications are more likely to be approved here than most councils, with a 98% approval rate vs 90% nationally.

More permissive than most councils
98% approved vs 90% nationally
These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance
South Oxfordshire decision statistics
Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026
94%
Overall approval rate
Above avg (87%) #47 of 296
98%
Householder approved
Above avg (90%) #23 of 296
74%
Decided in 8 weeks
Above avg (63%) #89 of 296
35%
Extended time limit
Below avg (41%) #105 of 296
83%
Minor dwellings approved
163 decided (1-9 homes)
56%
Major dwellings approved
27 decided (10+ homes)
92%
Change of use approved
26 decided
1,529
Total decisions
96 refused in the year to March 2026