Plans approved to turn house into therapy clinic in Chapel Street, Thatcham

Plans to turn a house in Thatcham into a one-bedroom flat and consulting rooms have been approved.

The proposal, by STATS (Hampshire) Limited, to add a ground floor flat plus with six consulting rooms for counselling/therapy sessions at 55 Chapel Street was granted conditional approval on Tuesday, May 27.

But Thatcham Town Council and West Berkshire Council’s Highways team maintained their objections on grounds of access to the site from the A4 and the anticipated increase in parking on nearby streets.

The application includes a gated access with a no drop-off zone at the front, leaving only two parking spaces in the unused yard at the rear of the building, so none for staff or visitors to the site.

However, in reading the decision letter of this year, the planning inspector stated he did not dismiss the previous appeal on parking grounds, for he believed the additional pressures were not so great as to merit rejection.

The case officer’s report determined: “It will no doubt increase local parking pressures to a degree but the planning advantage in social terms is considered to outweigh what highways harm there may be.”

It added the development must not be occupied until the full access improvements and the rear parking and turning areas are provided and maintained to the satisfaction of the local highways authority.

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