A NEW burrito restaurant is making plans to open on Broad Street, Reading, and received permission for the latest stage this week.

Also this week, McDonald’s can go ahead with plans for interactive touchscreen drive-thru menus, and woodpeckers have pecked a huge hole in an oak tree, which is due to be chopped down.

Here’s this week’s round-up of the most interesting planning decisions made by Reading Borough Council.

Burrito joint on Broad Street

A new burrito joint on Broad Street now has permission to put up two signs outside the restaurant. Tortilla has plans to open in the old Virgin Media shop, on the east end of the street, opposite the entrance to the Oracle.

Tortilla is a chain of burrito restaurants with several branches in London and others across the UK. It is unclear when the restaurant will open, but it follows the recent opening of similar fast food chain Taco Bell, in the Broad Street Mall.

Interactive drive-thru screens at McDonald’s

McDonald’s at Reading Gate retail park, near the Madejski stadium, will be getting new touchscreen menus for its drive-thru customers. The interactive screens are already in use in McDonald’s at Calcot.

The branch at Reading Gate has received planning permission for four signs and one screen, and should make it easier to order food you’re on the go.

Chop down an oak tree

An oak tree in Emmer Green can be now chopped down, after planners gave permission. The tree, on Tredegar Road, is at risk of falling down anyway due to woodpeckers.

A hole made by woodpeckers in the trunk of three stretches one metre in each direction. Inside the trunk. A tree surveyor said: “More than one third of the internal stem is removed, so the risk of failure is high.”

Nine new homes in Caversham

Nine new houses can be built in Caversham, after developers received permission despite concerns about flooding. The homes would be built behind numbers 209 to 219 Henley Road, in parts of the long gardens of those houses.

Neighbours wrote to the council objecting to the plans. Glyn and Tracey English said: “We object to this development because we feel none of this land should ever be built on. It’s flood plain land and is called that for a very good reason — it’s known to flood.”

But the Environment Agency, who has to be consulted, did not raise any objections. Sarah Green, an adviser at the agency, said: “The submitted flood risk assessment confirms to our satisfaction that there will be no increase in flood risk as a result of this development.”