A business park is the subject of two large planning applications at the site, for both commercial and residential purposes. 

The submissions include the proposed erection of 12 new employment units and the creation of 11 new apartments at Mulberry Business Park, at Nigra House and Rosa Building respectively. 

The site, located on Fishponds Road in Wokingham, is already a mixed commercial and residential area that has undergone many planning proposals, both approved and rejected, over the last few years. 

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The applicants for Nigra House are seeking to demolish the vacant commercial building and replace it with 12 employment units – to be used for professional and other services appropriate to the area, as well as for storage and distribution purposes. 

The proposal also includes plans for new vehicular access and other associated works, such as car parking and landscaping. 

The scheme allows previsions for a total of 53 car parking spaces – including 12 disabled spots and two for electric vehicle charging. 

The overall area of the site is 0.76 hectares that is surrounded, predominantly, by other two-storey office, light industrial and warehouse units. 

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Whilst other similar buildings on the site have previously been approved for residential development, Nigra House was most recently the subject of a rejected plan to change its use from commercial offices to 43 new apartments. 

One such property at the Business Park that was approved for change of use from commercial to residential was the Rosa Building. 

The location was given prior approval in 2019 for the 1980’s detached two-storey pavillion-style office building to be converted into 34 apartments, where construction work has begun. 

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The new plan proposes to raise the existing roof of the property to create 11 further apartments on the second floor. 

Developers outline that the new dwellings will be comprised of one studio apartment, as well as four one-bedroom, three two-bedroom (three person) and three two-bedroom (four person) flats. 

To the south of the site is a similar property called the Ilex Building, which has already been converted to residential apartments. This site has also received permission, via an appeal, to create an extra floor of development similar to that being proposed for Rosa. 

The site has 210 car parking spaces which are “shared” between the Rosa and Ilex building – with Rosa allocated 53 parking spaces. 

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The plan has been subject to an objection submitted by a local resident who feels that the development would cause them to “lose our privacy.” 

The resident, Jane Hutchings, said: “I was not aware there would be flats overlooking my garden and into our house. I do not recall any consultation with any of the impacted residents. 

“We have lived here for 30 years and now suddenly we lose our privacy.”