Offices in Reading town centre are set to be converted into nearly 100 flats now plans have been approved.
The Abbey Gardens office complex stands seven storeys tall along Kings Road in the town centre.
It is in an ideal location to the rear of the Abbey Ruins, with the train station being less than a 10-minute walk away.
Now, the office complex is due to be converted into 92 apartments, made up of 84 one-bed and eight two-bed flats.
The project has been approved through permitted development planning rules that allow the conversion of commercial buildings and offices into homes.
Major conversions such as Abbey Gardens require prior approval from the local planning authority to determine that living standards would be acceptable for future occupants.
The project was approved following assessment by Reading Borough Council planning officer Nathalie Weekes.
The conversion has been approved subject to conditions controlling any potential flood risk and access to daylight.
Office Weekes wrote: “Based on the site visit on March 5 and an assessment
of the plans, it is evident that the vast majority of habitable rooms will benefit from suitable access to natural light, given the size of the existing clear glazed windows and the configuration of the proposed units.”
The Abbey Gardens residences will be ‘car-free’ with the exception of three accessible disabled parking bays, with future occupants being able to make use of 48-cycle storage spaces.
Condition five makes it clear that future occupants will not be entitled to an on-street car parking permit.
You can view the approved application by typing reference PL/25/0202 into the council’s planning portal.
