A PLAN has been unveiled to build flats in Reading supermarket car park.
Ridgepoint Homes wants to create 80 homes – 74 two-bed and six one-bed – in an L-shaped four-storey block on land in the Tesco Extra store on Portman Road.
Each apartment would have one allocated car parking space, while there would be 40 cycle parking spaces.
Planning agents for the developers state that the section of the car park is ‘surplus to requirement’, but does not detail how many spaces will be lost.
The site is also includes a petrol station, a recycling store and a mound which was formed from building rubble from previous development in the area, which used to be part of the Battle Hospital complex.
Of the 80 apartments, 24 (30%) would be designated as affordable and four (5%) would be wheelchair-accessible.
Ridgepoint Homes stated the ‘design rationale’ will see it blend in with neighbouring buildings, particularly those that make up the Renaissance Reading development of 211 homes built by Belway Homes.
The scheme contains ‘enabling works’ to remove tarmac to create new green spaces. Existing trees at the north of the site would be retained and additional ones planted.
The plan was validated on Reading Borough Council’s planning portal, application 231041, on Thursday, August 17, with the stated consultation period for the application ending on the following day.
It is believed this will be extended by to allow for public comments.
