AN ORGANISATION has worked with the borough council to achieve special status for a piece of the town’s architecture.
The Wokingham Society has obtained agreement from Wokingham Borough Council that a Broad Street property should be recognised as a building of traditional local character.
Approval has been given to Wokingham’s former Post Office, the first award since the Council established the current procedures for nomination in 2017.
It is the third property in Wokingham town to be listed in this category, just below that of listed structures maintained by Historic England.
The other two locations with this status are numbers 61and 63, Peach Street.
The Council’s rules mean that the award “does not result in itself in any additional planning controls, but it is a material consideration in assessing any planning application for demolition, alteration or extension”.
Members of The Wokingham Society met with Cllr Lindsay Ferris, executive member for planning and local plan, to celebrate the building’s recognition.
Present were: Guy Grammun environment officer for The Wokingham Society; Keith Malvern, Paddy Haycocks and Robin Cops society members; Hazel Guile planning officer for The Wokingham Society; and Peter Must The Wokingham Society chair.
Cllr Ferris said: “It is important to protect the Post Office.
“It’s one of only a few buildings from that period, and the Wokingham Society has worked hard to achieve this status.”
The Post Office building is considered to be a fine example of Neo-Georgian style architecture.
It was designed by David Dyke and completed in 1932.
Wokingham has a number of structures from the medieval, Tudor, Georgian and Victorian periods.
But there are few large public buildings dating from the inter-War years, and possibly none as imposing as the façade of the Post Office.
It is perhaps one of the most notable premises on Broad Street, along with listed constructions Tudor House, The Elms and Montague House.
Prior to the 1880s, the earliest post office was in the MarketPlace, within a general-purpose store.
Then a dedicated post office was installed at number five, Broad Street.
That modest building was eventually replaced by the structure which exists today.
For the duration of its life as a working Post Office, the building has been a focus for local residents and businesses.
So when Post Office Ltd announced its intention to move its operations to W.H.Smith, there was considerable public concern.
A petition at the time included this sentiment: “Wokingham’s cherished Post Office is at the heart of the local community and an important community asset for many residents, particularly the older and more vulnerable.
“It is not just a collection or services, but it is part of the historic character of our market town, and a community resource that we all own”.
Peter Must, Chairman of the Wokingham Society, said: ”We are extremely grateful to the Borough Council for approving this nomination, to the Town Council for supporting it, and to Post Office Ltd for accepting this new designation.
“Wokingham, as an old market town, has a considerable number of distinctive buildings and other structures.
”We believe that affording listed or local recognition to as many of them as possible will help to preserve Wokingham’s rich architectural heritage.
“The Post Office is a magnificent building in its own right, and it needs some protection from development.
“The rules for this nomination were, quite rightly, fairly stringent, and we are glad to say that the council accepted our application.”
For more information about The Wokingham Society visit: www.wokinghamsociety.org.uk
