The Abbey School, Reading, plans given the green light

At a virtual planning committee meeting on June 24 (Wednesday), councillors approved plans for the Abbey School, on Kendrick Road, to build a new dining hall over its existing courtyard.

The decision also included approval to extend their sixth form building to provide a new common room, study area, and extra classroom space.

With the reconfiguration of the sixth form building, this will result in the loss of one netball court and the 20-spaced carparking area will be relocated due to the parking layout being ‘cramped’ and makes turning difficult.

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The front of the sixth form building will be enhanced and a roof garden was proposed to be on the second floor.

The dining hall roof will be partially or completely covered with plants and vegetation further the greenery scheme.

The Natural Environment Team raised concerns the development will remove four mature Scots Pine trees – which have a tree preservation order – but the applicant said four mature trees of the same species will be planted in a similar location with a better rooting environment and six more mature Scots Pines will be planted elsewhere.

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Councillor Karen Rowland (Labour: Abbey) said: “I think overall it will provide a much better benefit for the students.

“I was very pleased with the ecology report here which really does go a long way to increase biodiversity in a conservation area.

“Increasing biodiversity in the town is a good thing and I know that they [the applicant] worked with officers to mitigate the trees and I think we will be looking at biodiversity again – which is a wonderful thing.”

An application to erect a single storey rear extension on 30 Addison Road was refused on the grounds it will overdevelop the site and it will have ‘detrimental’ impact on the living environment of neighbouring properties due its proximity.