A plan to convert offices near Reading town centre into a court has been given the go-ahead.
The Sovereign House building, located north of Reading Station in Vastern Road, used to serve as offices for a housing association before being vacated.
Now the building is set to be converted into a Tribunal Court by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to handle employment, immigration and tax disputes, among other cases.
The decision was made at a meeting of Reading Borough Council’s planning applications committee.
Members generally welcomed the project to bring the vacant building back into use.
Councillor Richard Davies (Labour, Thames) said: “This is a site that has been boarded up for a little while, so it’s really good to see this coming forward.
“And not only is it good to see it coming forward, but coming forward for a use that is a community civic use, on behalf of His Majesty’s Court and Tribunal Service.”
He then made a quip about the council chamber still having a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on display, who died on September 8, 2022.
Cllr Davies said: “On the whole, there’s nothing to dislike about this, and I welcome bringing this building back into use.”
However, cllr Micky Leng (Labour, Whitley) made a call for more robust education and skills plans going forward.
He said: “They always reference the construction jobs, but it isn’t just about the construction jobs, it’s about jobs in the place when it’s running.”
Employment and skills plans are designed to provide opportunities for learning, jobs and careers in a designated area, with cllr Leng suggesting university graduates could possibly work at the court once opened.
He also noted that no public disabled parking spaces would be provided.
The car park provides 13 regular spaces, four disabled spaces and two electric vehicle charging spaces, all secured within a gated area to the rear of the building.
Planning officer Anthony Scoles said an informative would be added for the MoJ to determine suitable disabled parking, and an informative for negotiations between the MoJ and REDA, Reading’s economy and destination agency, on skills and employment opportunities.
The project was unanimously approved at the planning applications committee meeting on Wednesday, September 10.
The conversion involves the reconfiguration of the interior of the building to provide seven hearing rooms, 10 judicial offices, a members’ room, a judicial lounge, a medical room, two waiting rooms with space for 10 people each, seven server and communications rooms, a security office and a reception.
You can view the approved application by typing reference PL/25/0616 into the council’s planning portal.
