A POPULAR retail park in Reading town centre could be demolished to make way for 900 homes.
Forbury Retail Park could be transformed into apartment blocks under a plan by its owners, Scottish investment company abrdn.
The plan proposes 11 residential blocks as part of Kings Meadow View, overlooking the meadow to the north of the site.
It would keep 2,500sqm of retail and commercial space for a food retailer, with three smaller units for cafes, a convenience store or cycle hire, said abrdn.
The retail park is currently home to Furniture Village, DFS, Homesense, Nattuzi Italia, KFC and more.
A plan for the development has not been submitted yet, but abrdn has begun a pre-application consultation process.
A spokesperson for the investment company said that they are excited to unveil plans for the significant regeneration scheme.
They said it aims to put green public spaces first, with half of the site being set aside for landscaped green spaces.
“It’s an exciting proposal that seeks to show our ethos of responsible development, delivering a thoughtful, well designed and attractive scheme which reflects its surroundings,” they said. “We look forward to hearing what residents have to say about the proposals.”
The redevelopment of Forbury Retail Park is included in Reading’s Local Plan which was adopted in November 2019.
The plan states that the retail park would be an appropriate place for new housing, however any development should include a new area of open space and a buffer zone to separate it from the Kennet and Avon Canal.
The developers aim to submit an application later this year.
Residents can share their views at: www.kingsmeadowview.co.uk
