AN EAST Reading hotel could be knocked down and replaced with 14 homes spread over two buildings.
A planning application has been submitted for the Tower House Hotel site, on Wokingham Road and opposite the children’s play area of Palmer Park.
If approved, Block A would contain eight apartments, comprising two three-bed, two one-bed and four two-bed units. Block B would contain three one-bed and three two-bed apartments.
Each home would have one allocated car parking space.
It is not yet known how many of the apartments would be affordable: the council’s affordable housing policy states that 30% of homes in developments of 10 dwellings or more should be designated affordable, developers can provide fewer if there is an economic viability assessment.
No such assessment has been submitted at the time of writing.
The plan has received three objections from neighbours in nearby College Road, all of which mention the size of the new buildings and lack of car parking.
One wrote: “The proposed block B is significantly higher than the hotel or the adjacent buildings.
“The rear elevation will significantly overlook our property: the upper windows of Block B are twice the height of the windows of the current Hotel block that it proposes to replace.”
They added while they do not object to the principle of the hotel being replaced, they objected to the plans as they are.
There is a dispute between the neighbours and developer’s agents over the size of the new apartment buildings.
While the design and access statement by ET Planning states both buildings will be three storeys tall, neighbours say they are four storeys.
One couple wrote: “The proposed block B replaces the current two-storey building with a four storey building; this is a doubling in height compared to the existing development which would make the new development out of keeping with nearby buildings.
“It would also mean that our back garden and back rooms become overlooked. The current building’s view of our property is adequately shielded by a high hedge; to give us privacy from fourth-floor occupants would need a hedge so high that we’d have no usable garden at all and would restrict our rights to light.”
And a third neighbour wrote: “There is insufficient parking provision for 14 flats, and no space for visitors, tradesmen, deliveries etc.
“So reduce the number of flats, increase the parking provision, or both.”
Tower House is operational as a hotel, with the application being submitted by Mr Sarwan.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service visited the hotel but the owner chose not to comment on the plan.
The proposals can be seen on Reading Borough Council’s planning portal website, searching for reference 211714.
