DEVELOPERS have amended plans to build more than 200 flats by the River Thames in Reading.
Berkeley Homes wants to build 209 apartments within seven named blocks on the former SSE power station buildings on Vastern Road.
The plan was mooted in 2020, but Reading Borough Council’s planning committee rejected the scheme in April 2021. Councillors felt Berkeley Homes had failed to design an adequate north-south route for pedestrians and cyclists, and the tall buildings would overshadow the river.
The developers appealed to the government’s planning inspectorate, and they won in March 2022.
Berkeley Homes has submitted revisions to the plans to meet new fire regulations stating that buildings 18 metres or higher must have two stair cores to provide easier escape for residents in the event of a fire.
The redesign sees an additional storey being added to the western wing of Block B, called The Goods Warehouse building, and faces on to Vastern Road.
There are also changes to the top two floors of Block D, called the Turbine Hall, and Block E, called Christchurch Wharf. These would be the towers people see first when they cross over Christchurch Bridge from Caversham.
Berkeley Homes has retained the same number of flats but lost nine beds: it now plans to provide 70 one-bed, 127 two-bed and 12 three-bed flats.
All the previously planned two-bed flats would become one-bed.
The development will also feature a ‘Thames View Cafe’ with a platform for future customers to enjoy, and a sculpture or piece of public art fronting on to Vastern Road.
There would be 50 parking spaces: 12 at street level, and 38 within undercrofts, while there will be 134 secured cycle spaces and 12 outdoor spaces for cyclists.
The application can be viewed on Reading Borough Council’s planning website, searching for reference 231673.
