Council to take high-rise plan fight to High Court

Developer Aviva wants to build high-rise flats near Reading railway station

A council will take a fight to stop a development of up to 1,000 homes and business units on a retail park to the High Court.

Finance firm Aviva applied in 2020 to redevelop The Station Shopping Park in Reading.

The council said it would challenge a decision made on behalf of the levelling up secretary, Michael Gove, to overturn a decision to reject the application.

The Planning Inspectorate turned down the application following an inquiry in 2022, months after councillors rejected it.

The Station Shopping Park currently houses low-rise retail outlets

But ministers said the proposed high-rise buildings were acceptable in March.

They said the scheme would deliver "significant economic benefits" as well as housing.

The site in Vastern Road is currently occupied by low-rise shops and a restaurant.

Aviva applied for outline permission for buildings of up to 75m (245ft) tall, including 600 to 1,000 homes, offices and retail space.

Micky Leng, the council's lead councillor for planning, said the authority was extremely disappointed by the decision.

He said the council "will not allow [Mr Gove] to ride roughshod over and undermine the local democratic planning process".

He added: "[Mr Gove] concluded the re-use of the brownfield site in the town centre location outweighs the harms identified by the [planning inspector] and by local representatives before that.

"The decision brings into question the value of any local authority having adopted policies and reaching planning decisions, or indeed holding detailed planning inquiries when decisions are appealed, if outcomes can be so readily overturned."