• Make a contribution
  • Get the Print Edition
  • Sign up for our daily newsletter
Tuesday, July 22, 2025
  • Login
Reading Today Online
  • HOME
  • YOUR AREA
    • All
    • Caversham
    • Central Reading
    • East Reading
    • Katesgrove
    • Reading
    • Southcote & Coley
    • Tilehurst & Norcot
    • Whitley

    Mercury-nominated John Bramwell coming to Face Bar in September

    Mayor and MP Matt Rodda attend Lets Celebrate Towns Awards

    Ofwat set to be abolished, Environment Secretary announces

    Oxford Road business fined nearly £2,500 and ordered to remove shutters and signs

    Surgery ‘sprints’ and ‘e-triage’ bringing NHS waiting lists down in south east, figures show

    Genetics and health study in Berkshire seeking British Bangladeshi and Pakistani participants

    PRIDE OF READING: Meet the sponsors – McDondald’s

    PRIDE OF READING: Meet the sponsors – McDondald’s

    Green Park to see 40 new affordable homes in Abri partnership

    Reading council accused of potential landgrab of western suburbs

  • COMMUNITY
  • READING FC
  • SPORT
    • All
    • Basketball
    • Football
    • Rugby

    Former Reading FC loanee joins rivals

    Reading FC sign German attacker on permanent deal

    Reading and Chelsea legend Kerry Dixon set for Q&A at Purple Turtle

    Ex-Reading star Ejaria on trial with former Royals manager

    League One side set to win race for former Reading FC young star

    Reading FC opinion: Where are the goals coming from this season?

    Reading FC midfielder Knibbs linked with Championship move

    Reading FC forward Ehibhatiomhan features in friendly despite unresolved future

    Reading FC new signing picks up injury in pre-season match

  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • ARTS
    • READING FESTIVAL
    • READING PRIDE
    • WOKINGHAM FESTIVAL
  • PRIDE OF READING
  • OBITUARIES
  • JOBS
  • ADVERTISE
  • CONTACT US
No Result
View All Result
Reading Today Online
No Result
View All Result
Home Featured

Offices conversion into flats completed in busy commercial area of West Reading

James Aldridge, local democracy reporter by James Aldridge, local democracy reporter
Saturday, April 12, 2025 4:58 am
in Featured, Reading
A A
West Reading

West Reading

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

An office building that used to be the home of businesses and a charity has been converted into flats.

Thames House in Portman Road, West Reading previously served as offices for businesses and the Age UK charity.

The building is in a mixed residential and commercial area, with homes to the south and nearby businesses including Eden Vauxhall, Kingdom Coffee and the Double-Barrelled Brewery.

The offices were refurbished in 2019 with adverts appearing on the LoopNet and NovaLoca property website.

However, plans surfaced to convert Thames House into 16 flats in May 2020, with the project being approved in August that year.

The conversion attracted objections at the time by Age UK which had offices there before the charity coalesced its operations to Walford Hall in Carey Street and Broad Street Mall.

Related posts

Mercury-nominated John Bramwell coming to Face Bar in September

Mayor and MP Matt Rodda attend Lets Celebrate Towns Awards

Former Reading FC loanee joins rivals

Reading FC sign German attacker on permanent deal

Thames House is now home to 12 one-bed and four two-bed flats.

The conversion project was granted under prior approval legislation, which allows the change of use from commercial properties into homes without the need for planning permission.

Councils can only dismiss a prior approval application for a limited set of reasons, such as noise, contamination or flooding concerns.

The conversion project has since been completed by the development company Soni.Me Ltd.

A resident who moved into Thames House six months ago and a staff member at a nearby business both said that it is being used as council housing.

However, on clarification, a council spokesperson said that the flats are privately owned, but the council has helped tenants move into them via its Rent Guarantee Scheme process.

The scheme matches people who need homes with landlords who have properties to let.

A council web page states: “We pay the rent directly to the landlord, in advance. We also guarantee to pay up to six weeks’ rent as a tenancy deposit, to cover costs if your property is damaged by your tenants.”

The guarantee scheme for landlords ranges from bedrooms in shared houses, called homes of multiple occupation (HMOs) all the way up to four-bedroom houses.

To be eligible, prospective tenants must have lived in Reading for at least six of the last 12 months, be receiving benefits or on a low income, and must have good tenancy history, amongst other eligibility criteria.

The conversion of Thames House has been a relatively recent affair, as advertising for three businesses could still be seen in Street view imagery from June 2023.

The occupying businesses were ITS Interior Transformation Specialists, Robert Rigby Architects and LTS Ceilings and Partitions.

Soni.Me also gained approval to build an extension to Thames House to create new office space in June 2022.

Keep up to date by signing up for our daily newsletter

We don’t spam we only send our newsletter to people who have requested it.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

Previous Post

FROM THE LEADER: Moving around Reading

Next Post

Businesses secure offices at Reading town centre building tipped for flats

FOLLOW US

POPULAR STORIES

  • 47-year-old woman arrested after two pedestrians die in road traffic collision in Caversham

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Former Reading FC striker Andy Carroll joins new club in England after leaving France

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Masked men armed with weapons rob store in Reading

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Reading FC forward given ultimatum over future at the club

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Man from Reading arrested after teen dies in road collision

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

RDG.Today – which is a Social Enterprise – provides Reading Borough with free, independent news coverage.

If you are able, please support our work

Click Here to Support RDG.Today

ABOUT US

Reading Today is dedicated to providing news online across the whole of the Borough of Reading. It is a Social Enterprise, existing to support the various communities in Reading Borough.

CONTACT US

news@wokinghampaper.co.uk

Reading Today Logo

Keep up to date with our daily newsletter

We don’t spam we only send our newsletter to people that have subscribed

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

The Wokingham Paper Ltd publications are regulated by IPSO – the Independent Press Standards Organisation.
If you have a complaint about a  The Wokingham Paper Ltd  publication in print or online, you should, in the first instance, contact the publication concerned, email: editor@wokingham.today, or telephone: 0118 327 2662. If it is not resolved to your satisfaction, you should contact IPSO by telephone: 0300 123 2220, or visit its website: www.ipso.co.uk. Members of the public are welcome to contact IPSO at any time if they are not sure how to proceed, or need advice on how to frame a complaint.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • HOME
  • MY AREA
    • Central Reading
    • East Reading
    • Bracknell
    • Calcot
    • Caversham
    • Crowthorne
    • Earley
  • COMMUNITY
  • SPORT
    • Reading FC
    • Football
    • Rugby
    • Basketball
  • ENTERTAINMENT
    • ARTS
    • READING FESTIVAL
    • READING PRIDE
    • WOKINGHAM FESTIVAL
  • PRIDE OF READING
  • OBITUARIES
  • JOBS
  • ADVERTISE
  • CONTACT US
  • SUPPORT US
  • SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER
  • WHERE TO GET THE PRINT EDITION

© 2021 - The Wokingham Paper Ltd - All Right Reserved.