THE HOME of Reading Today’s predecessor, the Reading Evening Post, is to become an entertainment venue.
Tm Leisure is to convert the former Tessa Road site after receiving permission from Reading Borough Council.
For decades until its closure in 2015, the Reading Evening Post was produced and printed on site, before the newspapers were delivered in vans to shops and vendors across the town.
The printworks were among the most advanced of their kind in the country on initial installation, being able to print in full-colour. They were revamped again at the turn of the century to enable full colour on every page.
Now, the site is to be turned into a food market which organisers hope will rival similar events in London.
The company has run a series of Market Yard pop-up events in the town centre and has been looking to launch a long-term venue.
Now that Reading Borough Council has granted planning permission, conversion work can begin, and the site will be named Tessa Studios: Evening Post staff affectionately called the site Tessa Towers, so the new name mimics the nickname.
When open, it will host food and drink stall, live music, DJs, and screen sporting events.
It will be available for private hire events including TV filming ,and brand and product launches.
The company already has a licence for alcohol sales and hosting entertainment such as DJs and live music from noon to 11pm each day. This was granted in September 2021, with Tm Leisure hoping to open in November 2021, but the project stalled.
An earlier planning consent for the takeover of the Printworks building lapsed, meaning the company had to submit a fresh planning application, which was validated in April this year, and granted on November 7 for a period of five years.
The earlier consent for The Printworks conversion, reference 211771 was approved for temporary use for one year in March 2022.
Prior to occupying the site, Tm Leisure will need to support details of a travel plan to the council, as the approved scheme does not provide details for the amount of cycle parking spaces.
Stating the benefits of the project, Tm Leisure’s planning consultant Andrew Harrison said it would create 100 jobs.
Tessa Studios will have a maximum guest capacity of 3,430 people, with 2,500 standing capacity and seats for 930 people in the entirety of the venue.
Floorplans show the Printworks being divided into a number of rooms, with a courtyard for food stalls, a photo booth, a graffiti wall and staff rooms.
The Printworks were previously owned by Trinity Mirror. It was acquired by the Thames Development Group in May 2014.
While the printworks itself is addressed at Tessa Road, it fronts onto Richfield Avenue, and is opposite the Rivermead Leisure Centre and one of the entrances to Reading Festival.
The application can be seen by logging on to Reading Borough Council’s planning website and searching for application 230537.
The editor of Reading Today, Phil Creighton, was former features editor of the Reading Evening Post.
