The owner of a planned new convenience store in Woodley is pushing back against a council decision to restrict its opening hours, in the latest in an ongoing saga.

Mr Tajmeet Singh has plans to convert the empty Just Tiles shop on Headley Road into a Nisa, a cafe, a hairdresser and a hardware store. He also wants to build a flat above the shops.

Wokingham Borough Council planning officers said in March the shops should only be allowed to open between 7am and 7pm to protect neighbours from noise.

That’s despite the fact that the council’s licensing subcommittee ruled in February that the Nisa could sell alcohol as early as 6am and as late as 11pm.

Now Mr Singh has applied to change the conditions so that the Nisa’s opening hours are in line with its alcohol sales permit.

Joanne Brough from Paddington Planning consultancy acknowledged that the imposed opening hours of 7am-7pm are standard for residential areas ‘to prevent noise/disturbance impact at antisocial hours.’

But she said the decision by councillors on the licensing subcommittee showed that these ‘opening hours would not be harmful.’

She also asked the council to take into account the fact that the Nisa would be next to other shops, and on a busy road.