THE name of a Reading retailer will live on when homes are built on its former premises.
Carters, on Caversham Road, closed in 2019 after 199 trading first in Thatcham. It moved to the town in 1962, and sold outdoor sports clothing and specialist equipment for snow sports such as skiing and snowboarding.
Bellway Homes acquired the site and won permission to build 60 homes last February.
It has been revealed it will be called ‘Carters Close’.
The decision comes as the council’s address naming process has come under scrutiny, with councillors complaining that name suggestions for the Emmer Green Drive development in Caversham did not appropriately reflect the heritage of that site as the Reading Golf Course.
Members of the council’s planning applications committee welcomed the name for the Carters site as they felt it suitably reflected the legacy of the closed store.
Cllr Richard Davies (Labour, Caversham) said: “I know that members of the committee are very interested in this topic, and are anxious that names do reflect the heritage of the area.
“I think it’s a really good and appropriate name because it commemorates a very popular and long-standing business that was probably used by most people in this room over the years, so thank you for that.”
The naming for the development was agreed unanimously by the council’s planning applications committee on Wednesday, January 10.
The suggestion of Carters Close was made by the council’s geographic information systems (GIS) team, which previously came under fire for suggesting street names for the Emmer Green Drive development which were rejected by councillors.
These proposed names included ‘Tallow Way’ in reflection of a form of lubricant that was once made in the area, and ‘Saunderson View’ named after a historic make of tractor.
The Carters development will comprise 10 four-bed houses, and three apartment blocks comprising 21 one-bed, 18 two-bed and 11 three-bed flats.
Bellway Homes submitted details to the council to comply with conditions of the planning permission approved in February 2023.
These contain details relating to the construction methods, an energy statement for the proposed homes, the conduct of an archaeological evaluation and the developer’s sustainable drainage strategy, which were all submitted in September.
The approved application can be seen by searching for the postcode RG1 8AN in Reading Borough Council’s planning portal.
