Plans to build a “luxury” retirement village in Sonning have been approved – despite opposition from former Prime Minister Theresa May.

Arlington Retirement Lifestyles has been given outline planning permission to build  57 apartments for people over the age of 60, just off Old Bath Road.

According to the plans, there will be three apartment blocks that will each be three storeys tall, communal landscape gardens, and 63 parking spaces.

READ MORE: Film studio that could be used for Netflix productions gets green light

The Arlington Retirement Lifestyles website says they will be “luxury apartments” with “communal facilities designed to the highest standards”.

The company said it cannot ensure that any of the apartments will be affordable, but it has promised to provide a £1.6 million contribution for other affordable housing projects.

Mrs May had objected to the project, claiming it would be “inappropriate” for 57 apartments to be “squeezed into an area currently occupied by three typically large Sonning houses”.

But the plans were approved by Wokingham Borough Council’s Planning Committee at a meeting on March 24, even though councillors raised a number of concerns.

Cllr Michael Firmager objected, saying the three-storey apartment blocks will be “overbearing” and they will “overlook local houses”.

He added: “The access to this proposed site will be on the A4, which is an already extremely busy road for speeding traffic.”

But council planning officers pointed out that the apartment blocks will be built next to the Sunrise Nursing Home building, which is “substantially larger”, and said there are no concerns about highway safety.

Cllr Angus Ross said: “Let us not use the word retirement site for this.

“A lot of people are still working over the age of 60. To use the word retirement is misleading.”

He added: “There is also effectively no other way of getting in and out of this place, except by car.

“There are few buses, you can’t walk to the shops safely.”

READ MORE: John Lewis bosses confirm future of Reading store

But council planning officers said there are two bus stops and footpaths right outside the site and the nearest shop is around 1km away.

Judy Kelly said: “Obviously it’s not Wokingham town centre – you haven’t got Waitrose right on your doorstep.

“But it does have a collection of facilities that are reasonably close by.”