PLANS to build four new towers to a Reading town centre shopping centre face being amended to meet new legislation.
Site owners of Broad St. Mall wanted to put housing on to the site, and it is hoped they will be available to let in the summer of 2028.
AEW bought the shopping centre in June last year, and its planning consultant Jonathan Walton updated members of Reading Borough Council’s Older People’s Working Group at a meeting last week.
Mr Walton said a previous scheme for towers and a hotel was approved by the council in December 2021, but these only had one set of stairs, not the two that are now legally required.
AEW wants to change what previous site owners Moorgarth had won consent for: 422 apartments and 101 hotel rooms.
The new plan will see 601 flats spread across four towers: 271 one-bed, 290 two-bed and 40 three-bed units.
Members of the group expressed concern about the sheer volume of flats.
Laurence Berks, a pensioner from Whitley Wood, asked: “What is the need for more housing in the town centre? They’re starting work on the Soane Point offices in Market Place. What is the need, are we reaching saturation point?”
In that scheme, offices are being converted into 144 flats, and further work is being undertaken to add a further 38 apartments to the building through extensions.
He also argued that Reading needs more affordable housing.
Mr Walton replied that the apartments would ultimately be a ‘build to rent product’ facilitating a need for individuals and small families, and added that there is high pressure on the housing market in Reading due to ‘constrained supply and high demand’.
There were also worries about the loss of parking spaces. The mall currently has a total of 720 spaces, with 16 disabled bays and 10 parent and child bays – these would be closed for a year while work takes place.
Cllr Simon Robinson (Conservative, Emmer Green) said: “The retail in Reading is suffering badly. We used to be a great centre for shopping, but that’s dropping away.”
He expressed fears that a lack of parking would discourage potential shoppers.
Mr Walton said he was provided evidence that a good portion of those who use the car park are office workers and staff in the centre.
A design shows a ramped entrance for a new car park being provided at the basement level.
These outline proposals were discussed when the Older People’s Working Group met on Friday, October 13, and it is expected that AEW to submit the plans in December.
