A makeshift extension built at the back of a restaurant on Oxford Road without planning permission has frustrated neighbours, who have complained about noise and smells and claim bits of the roof have blown off into their garden.
Momo2Go, a Nepalese restaurant at 172 Oxford Road, opened in April this year after Reading Borough Council (RBC) approved the change of use from a shop or financial and professional services (A1/A2) to a restaurant or cafe (A3).
However, neighbours at the house behind the restaurant have raised concerns about the structure built in the garden out of “bits wood and corrugated plastic sheets, with no rainwater drainage”.
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Alex Higgin, who lives with her brother at a house behind the restaurant, said: “The main issue really is they extended out the back of the property without permission and the property they built is not safe and not fit for purpose.
“It overlooks our garden, bits of it have blown off into our garden are we are exposed to smells and noise.
“It is not very nice to live behind. We have a very small garden anyway and it immediately overlooks it.
“There are other units on the road that have extensions but they have planning permission and they are safe. That is the point of the planning system.”
Ms Higgin says she has seen workers at the restaurant prepare food in the structure as it is translucent and she can see inside from her home, although Momo2Go deny this.
Padma Rai, from Momo2Go, said: “The covered area to the rear of the property has been built without planning permission as we were not aware that permission was required until we had a contact from the council.
“We are sorry that the structure has caused an issue both with the council and with neighbours as this was not the intention, but we only use the area for dry storage.
“We have appointed a consultant who has measured the covered area and he will submit a planning application on our behalf to try and regularise the status of permissions.
“We are sorry that anything has blown over to the neighbours garden but assume this would have been whilst the contractor was erecting the structure, and hopefully not after that, but will look to ensure that nothing else is there that might get blown over again.
“A fully fitted kitchen is located in the main part of the building where all food preparation and cooking takes place, and not in the covered area, which is solely for dry storage.
“We are hopeful that the covered area will gain formal approval but will of course need to remove the whole thing should this fail.”
A spokesman for RBC said its planning enforcement team has an ongoing investigation into the premises, its use and the issue of whether planning permission is required for the garden building.
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They said the council’s building control service would inspect the premises, with the environmental health team having visited the premises previously.
The spokesman added: “As a new business they have been given some time to make improvements and the team will be visiting again shortly to check on progress.”
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