Illegal Oxford Road Shopfronts Dismantled After Council Planning Enforcement Action

PLANNING enforcement action by the Council has resulted in the dismantling of a number of illegal structures added to shopfronts along Reading’s Oxford Road which were built without planning permission.

The Council is warning it will not hesitate to take similar action against other unauthorised extensions and is strongly advising all shop occupiers to seek advice from the Council if they are considering developing their premises.

The Council’s team served enforcement notices to Oxford Road Supermarket (267-271 Oxford Rd), Lois Afro Shop (273) and Dreamztime (275) in February and March last year, requesting that they dismantle unauthorised structures which were built on forecourts and added onto shopfronts without the necessary planning permissions.

These illegal structures were contrary to the Town and Country Planning Order 2015 as they lie within a Conservation Area and also form part of the High Street Heritage Action Area, where improvements were recently been made to some forecourts and shopfronts.  The siting of the prominent structures were unsympathetic to the historic row of buildings at the location, were built with inappropriate materials and were deemed by planning enforcement officers to disrupt the appearance of the original frontage of the buildings, detracting and resulting in harm to the character and appearance of the Conservation Area.

Both Oxford Road Supermarket and Lois Afro Shop were served with Planning Contravention Notices in November 2024 after failing to comply with the original enforcement notices served earlier that year. Both unauthorised structures were subsequently dismantled by owners this month (January).

In the case of Dreamztime, the original planning enforcement notice was complied with in July with the illegal structure dismantled.  

The Russell Street/Castle Hill Conservation Area Appraisal of the Oxford Road (March 2020) noted several negative features of the Conservation Area.  These include modern shop fronts which have destroyed the original 19^th century retail frontages; garish, irregularly sized retail signage which destroys a sense of harmony along the retail corridor; and poorly kept retail frontages extending to the pavement and detracting from the traditional street line, which causes problems to the flow of pedestrians.

Similar enforcement action is now being pursued by the Council against the owners of a further four shopfronts 185A Oxford Road, 288-290 Oxford Road, 308 Oxford Road, 324-326 Oxford Road. They have all been issued with an Enforcement Notices but have yet to comply.  

Micky Leng, the Council’s Lead Councillor for Planning, said:

 “The action taken against these illegal extensions to shopfronts along the Oxford Road should serve as evidence that the Council’s planning enforcement team will take the necessary steps against unauthorised structures which impact on the character and appearance of what is a Conservation Area, and those in particular that interrupt the flow of pedestrians who walk along the busy Oxford Road.

“My advice is always to check in with the Council’s planning department if extensions to shopfront are being considered, and certainly well in advance of any physical work actually taking place.

“This not only applies to the sort of unauthorised structures we see here, but can also include the display of advertisements and shopfront signage, particularly where they lie in prominent locations, in Conservation Areas and if they occupy listed buildings. Those settings are treated with priority for control by the Planning Enforcement Team, in the interests of amenity and high standards of appearance.”

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