A plan to convert dozens of ‘apart-hotel’ bedrooms in Reading into long-term accommodation will be determined later this week.
Reading Borough Council’s planning committee will consider a plan for 12-18 Crown Street which, in 2005, was converted from offices into apartments, adding an additional floor in the process.
The aparthotel rooms provide basic facilities for someone to live on their own with the amenities of a hotel. Developers ‘Shall Do Crown Street Limited’ have applied to convert the 44 apart-hotel rooms into flats.
Of the 44 rooms, 27 would be one-bedroom, 13 would have two-bedrooms, and four would become studio apartments.
The apart-hotel rooms were run by a company called Reading Serviced Apartments.
Inside, work would be undertaken, particularly on the fourth floor, to make sure the flats achieve minimum space standards.
There would be no changes to the number of car parking spaces, with eight spaces including two disabled bays accessed of St Giles Close.
A store with 10 spaces for bicycles would be enlarged to house 44 two-wheeled vehicles.
The conversion has been recommended for approval subject to a legal agreement which would involve the developer paying the council a monetary contribution once 75% of the flats (33) are either sold or let, as no designated affordable housing would be provided.
If an agreement is not reached, the council’s assistant director of planning would be delegated to refuse it.
The committee will consider a report when it meets on Wednesday, September 7. It states there is a precedent for converting serviced apartments into flats in Reading, following the approval of the conversion of The Faculty building in London Road from 16 serviced rooms into 15 apartments.
Although the plan was refused in March last year, it was allowed on appeal in December.
The plans can be viewed on Reading Borough Council’s planning portal, searching for reference 201138.
