“Demented jigsaw puzzle” plans to build a four-bed house in a quiet neighbourhood in north Reading have been rejected.

Developer Deepsea Engineering wanted to build a house on land at Autumn Close in Emmer Green, near the border of South Oxfordshire.

The plan was rejected at Wednesday evening’s (November 13) Planning Applications committee at Reading Borough Council (RBC).

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Neighbours raised concerns about vehicle access, the design’s impact on the character of the area and the house overshadowing other properties.

And councillors slammed the plans as “a mess and a muddle” and “sticking out like a sore thumb”.

Conservative councillor Jane Stanford-Beale the application should be opposed because of its over-bearing impact due to scale and dominance and called it a “grand designs” property.

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“This would stick out like a sore thumb,” said fellow Conservative councillor Simon Robinson.

Labour councillors also hit out at the plans.

Councillor Rose Williams described the plans as like a “demented jigsaw puzzle”, “a mess and a muddle” and said “they are managing to offend all four of their neighbours”.

Fellow Labour councillor Jo Lovelock, former council leader, raised concern about access and said the plan “really is completely out of keeping with the design of the rest of the close”.

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Green councillor Josh Williams said the “sheer disruption” to build the property could be “a year of absolute hell” for neighbours.

He added: “They are not happy with this and nor would I be if I was a neighbour.”

The application was only supported by one councillor, chair of the committee Cllr Emmett McKenna, who admitted “the design leaves a lot to be desired”.

He said he hopes the developer will put in a revised application “in-keeping with the site” rather than call in an appeal “which would add years of delay and uncertainty”.

Following the decision, a member of the public thanked the committee, shouting out: “Thank you for some common sense”.

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A decision on the plans was deferred at the last meeting in October, with Cllr Lovelock calling for a site visit to understand the proposal better.

Steve Sharp, who lives at neighbouring house 5 Autumn Close, spoke to Reading Borough Council’s Planning Applications committee on in October 9, calling for “common sense and decency” towards neighbours.

He said: “The development is grand design style. It is probably more suited to the hills of Devon.

“It has vast expanses of glass looking over people’s windows. It is closer to number five than it should be.

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Mr Sharp added: At the moment we don’t have vehicles at the rear of properties. We would have vehicles parking near to our fences.

“It changes completely the dynamics of the place by creating a gated community of one.”