On Monday evening Cllr Kirsten Bayes and I attended a meeting of local residents who had gathererd to express their concerns about the possible impact the proposed redevelopment of 22 Alexandra Road could have on their area.The plans are for a family house to be turned into four flats - with two off-street parking spaces.
We were already aware of the high level of concern that existed in Alexandra Road about this application. Many letters of objection had been sent into the Council by residents from Alexandra Road and adjacent streets.
Parking was one of the biggest concerns raised. People joked that there was no point banning occupants of the proposed flats with parking permits because none of the local streets had permit parking! Anyone visiting Alexandra Road today will struggle to find a space - residents compete with visitors to the Hospital, a mosque, a couple of dentists and several schools!
There are however no easy solutions to parking problems on Alexandra Road - we are actively lobbying RBC to be innovative but so far without success.
I've written recently about the trend in Redlands of houses being turned into HMOs which many residents feel is having a detrimental impact on the area. In Alexandra Road, residents have been telling me that the move is actually back towards family houses.
Residents I spoke to on Monday night are rightly proud of the community feel that they have worked hard to create on their street and they are angry that this might be damaged.
These concerns prompted me to ‘call in’ this application to the Planning Applications Committee (PAC) to be scrutinised by councillors, rather than delegated to officers for a decision.
Officers recommended to members that the application be approved, to the dismay of local residents and myself. We felt the officers' report failed to take account of things like the existing parking problems in the street (which has been the subject of several blog posts!) and the unique character of the area.
Three local residents from Alexandra Road spoke against the application at the meeting. I also spoke against it.
I would like to thank those residents who spoke at the meeting who put forward a very convincing, compelling argument as to why this application should be refused. These residents were a credit to their neighbourhood and I felt very proud that they were our constituents.
Issues we raised at the meeting included:
• Impact on the character of the Alexandra Road Conservation Area
• Parking problems on Alexandra Road
• Problems with the bin store
• Overdevelopment
One of the problems has been that works have already begun on the site and the developer have caused a good deal of disturbance to neighbours. I raised this with Committee members and requested that conditions on works be rigorously enforced.
I also requested that if the development was approved Section 106 cash should be spent on local parks within walking distance i.e. Addington Road or London Road. Not, Palmer Park as suggested in the report.
I also requested that the developer be asked to contribute towards a 'car club' to reduce pressure on parking in local streets. I was told by officers in the meeting that this would not be possible in developments under 10 flats - disappointing as we really need more car clubs in central Reading!
I’m pleased to say members listened to the arguments put forward and have requested that a site visit take place later this month so that the issues we raised can be examined in more detail.
The application will then go to the November 4 meeting of the Planning Application Committee. Officers have advised us that there will not be another opportunity for public speaking but that comments can still be sent in by residents. Please email any comments you have to julie.williams@reading.gov.uk
In other news...
- I'm pleased to report that plans to redevelop 61-63 Eastern Avenue were rejected by members on grounds of overdevelopment. A number of local residents objected to this proposal which was deeply flawed.
- Less positive news on Redlands Road where plans to redevelop 46 Redlands Road have been submitted to the Council. Plans to build 14 flats on this site were thrown out last year after a successful local campaign. The new plans are for 10 flats. Watch this space for news about these plans.
- Over in neighbouring Katesgrove, on Kendrick Road (which is partly in Redlands), a planning inspector has gone against the concerns of local residents and local councillors and overturned the Council's decision to reject the University of Reading's plans to redevelop Mansfield Hall.
We are very unhappy about this decision as are residents. The ill-conceived plan to squeeze hundreds of student flats on the former halls site will add massively to parking problems and could have a very negative impact on this important Conservation area.
The fight goes on to preserve our beautiful area!
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