A plan by John Lewis to enter the property market by building apartments in Reading town centre has been scaled back following refinements to the project.
The John Lewis Partnership is seeking to become a landlord by through a build-to-rent apartments project to replace its customer collections centre just south of The Oracle.
The project has recently been scaled back from the 215 flats initially submitted to Reading Borough Council to 170 dwellings contained in one new apartment block.
These will be made up of 79 one-bed, 81 two-bed and 10 three-bed properties.
Of those, 17 flats (10 per cent) would be made affordable Local Housing Allowance levels which would be £850.01 per month for a one-bed property.
These affordable flat would be ‘tenure blind’, meaning there will be no difference in specification or service between affordable and market-rate homes.
Additionally, nine flats would be designated accessible.
The height of the building has been reduced to eight storeys, which is three storeys lower than originally proposed.
The changes, which have been called ‘refinements’ include updated architectural detailing, Juliet balconies, and enhanced landscaping.
The project will now also provide nearly 10,000 sq ft of green space following the redesign.
Katherine Russell, Director of Build-To-Rent for the John Lewis Partnership, said: “We’ve been proud to be part of the Reading community for over 50 years, so it’s very important to us that we deliver the best possible scheme and one that benefits the community.
“If these plans are approved, we will create much-needed high-quality rental homes, a green, community space for the people of Reading and local jobs. We thank Reading Borough Council and local community groups for their input.”
The revisions to the scheme come after the organisation in charge of commissioning healthcare in the area has expressed grave concerns that GP surgeries are ‘over-capacity’.
Jeffrey Ng, the primary care lead for estates at the Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West (BOB) Integrated Care Board (ICB) has commented on the project.
His letter reveals that the ICB is hoping to acquire the unit next to its Walk-In Health Centre in the Broad Street Mall for a new primary care facility.
This project would require contributions from developers of between £350,000 to £450,000.
Mr Ng has therefore requested that John Lewis commits to paying £185,760 in developer contributions to pay for the new centre.
The letter was published in May, before the plan was scaled back in documents submitted on Monday, July 7.
You can view the application by typing PL/24/1155 into the council’s planning portal.
The changes come following the validation of the plan in October last year.
A decision is expected from the council’s planning applications committee later this year and if approved, construction could start in early 2026.
