The transformational project to add hundreds of flats to a shopping mall in Reading town centre has been approved.
There have long been plans to turn Broad Street Mall into a place to live by adding apartment towers to the site.
Although a project to add flats to the mall was approved in 2022, the plans had to be revised to comply with post-Grenfell fire safety regulations.
The previous plans for 422 flats and a hotel were pursued by former mall owners Morgaarth, with the amount of flats provided being scaled up to 643 by developers AEW and McLaren Living.
Now the new project has been approved in a landmark decision by Reading Borough Council’s planning applications committee.
The project was initially discussed in March, but a decision was delayed due to concerns about a lack of affordable homes, suitable amenity space and parking arrangements.
Planning officers and the developers were able to negotiate the provision of 80 affordable flats, up from the 65 initially outlined.
Furthermore, officers calculated council will be paid approximately £6.3 million in developer contributions, which will be invested to make improvements elsewhere.
Offering clarity on parking arrangements, of the 426 spaces provided, 100 will be for residents.
Further information on allocation for the 21 disabled spaces provided will be defined in a car park management plan that will be determined at a later date.
The decision was made at a meeting on Wednesday, April 30.
Celebrating the news, Charles Royle, Portfolio Manager at AEW, commented: “This is a significant milestone for the regeneration of Broad Street Mall, which will create much-needed new homes and green spaces for the community in Reading.
“Our ambition, along with our partners McLaren Living, is to transform this area into a vibrant, new destination for the town, and the receipt of planning brings us one step closer to achieving that goal.”
It comes as the mall redevelopment is close to the council’s planned Minster Quarter development, which will see around 600 homes built in the area of the former council offices.
McLaren Living, the apartments provider for the mall redevelopment, was also selected by the council to deliver homes for the Minster Quarter last year.
Oliver Westray, development director of McLaren Living, said: “Our approved scheme will regenerate Broad Street Mall and deliver an enhanced and reinvigorated mixed-use neighbourhood, one which will deliver on the council’s plans for the area and align with its vision for the town.
“The approved scheme will allow McLaren Living and AEW to create a renewed and vibrant retail and residential destination, one that will be resilient and sustainable and support the local economy.
“We look forward to continuing to work in partnership with AEW and Reading Borough Council post-consent to deliver our vision for the transformation of Broad Street Mall.”
You can view the approved application by typing reference PL/24/0173 into the council’s planning portal.
