Planning applications in Caversham

Caversham lies within Reading Borough, so applications are decided by Reading Borough Council against the Reading Borough Local Plan. Its streets range from Victorian and Edwardian terraces near the river to interwar semis and later estates towards Emmer Green, and that variety shapes what the council will accept. Extensions to terraced and semi detached houses are assessed under policy H9, with daylight, outlook and privacy for neighbours tested under policy CC8.

Two of Reading's conservation areas are in Caversham: St Peter's, around the church and Caversham Court Gardens, and Surley Row. In them permitted development rights are narrower and the design of extensions, windows and boundary treatments is looked at closely. Before relying on permitted development for a loft or rear extension we check the council's conservation area and Article 4 maps.

Our Caversham work shows both sides of the process. At 8 Hilltop Road the council refused a single storey front and side extension, and our appeal statement persuaded the Planning Inspector to allow it. At 62 Prospect Street we secured full planning permission for a six bedroom HMO with a rear extension, supported by HMO concentration mapping, noise and sustainability statements.

For council wide policy, Article 4 directions and decision times, see our guide to planning in Reading.