Retirement village extension proposal is ‘badly designed’

PLANS to extend a riverside retirement village in Henley has been criticised by councillors who described it as “badly designed”.

Retirement Villages Group, which owns Thamesfield in Wargrave Road, wants to increase the number of apartments from 37 to 50.

It has submitted an application to Wokingham Borough Council, the planning authority, to demolish part of a block of flats and build a three-storey extension to provide 17 extra apartments.

At a meeting of the town council’s planning committee, councillors heard that both Remenham Parish Council and South Oxfordshire District Council have objected, feeling the changes amount to overdevelopment.

But Councillor Laurence Plant said that he struggled to see that this could be counted as overdevelopment, given the out-of-the-way nature of the site.

He said the building was on a “huge plot” and, as such, he “couldn’t see much problem” with the changes.

It would not cut into amenity space but rather existing hardstanding and the extension would be no higher than three-storey flats built nearby.

Cllr Plant said he thought it would be hard to justify any refusal by Wokingham Borough Council, should the decision go to appeal.

“The only people that are going to view this [extension] are people sat in standstill traffic [trying] to get into Henley,” he said. However, other councillors did not fully agree, saying the retirement home can be seen from River Terrace across the Thames.

Councillor Michelle Thomas said: “The problem [the parish and district councils] have is it’s a
620 per cent increase to the size of the property [compared] to the size it is now. That is what you’d call traditional overdevelopment of the site.”

Because it rises above the original building, it can be seen behind it and that is “primarily the main objection,” she said.

Cllr Thomas said the extension does not seem to have “any relationship” to the original building.

She said: “It’s just a badly designed extension that’s not in keeping [with the character of the original] and is dominating the whole plot.” This is not the first time this application has come around for scrutiny as it is a resubmission with some amendments, but the town council said it could see little difference between the plans.

Cllr Thomas said: “I think what the parish and residents are after is a substantial reduction or redesign. [The applicants] haven’t addressed this.”

Councillor Ian Reissmann, the deputy mayor, said he was “surprised” this building was not listed, given its visibility, prominence and attractiveness.

But Councillor David Eggleton said he would be in favour of the development if all the other bodies were in favour of it.

The committee voted unanimously to recommend that Wokingham turn down the plans.