Winnersh home to unite with Bollywood studios

PHOTOS BY PAUL KING

The owners of a house in Winnersh are thrilled with the opportunity to become part of Bollywood after getting approval to rent out their home to film companies.

Mr and Mrs Pandey said they see it as a great chance to earn some extra income and to be a part of a major film production.

Plans were approved for the residential property in Robinhood Way, to be used for commercial filming after originally having been refused in October 2023.

Mr and Mrs Pandey applied for permission for a change of use for their property at Rivermead from residential to include commercial filming.

In general, the filming will be by crews from Indian television studios taking advantage of the property’s mix of British and Asian furnishings and design.

Wokingham Borough Council approved the plans despite there being a large number of objections – but filming will only be allowed to happen up to 28 days per year with an up-to-date schedule kept of filming dates with the company details.

Objections included the loss of a single residence, the adverse impact to neighbours and problems caused by additional vehicles parking.

Apparently, the film company has offered to pay people to use their driveways for their vehicles to ensure that the small road doesn’t become blocked during filming.