Empty offices in Reading town centre will become the new home for Reading’s County and Family Courts.
Established in 1847, they are currently based in Friar Street, and are used for cases such as personal injury claims, defamation, landlord-tenant disputes and child and vulnerable adult custody cases.
The refurbished Carbon Building and Highbridge House, a Grade II-listed building, on Kings Road, were purchased by His Majesty’s Court & Tribunals Service in 2022.
Reading Borough Council’s planning applications committee has approved its application to convert the site.
There will be internal modifications to create 10 court rooms within The Carbon building, with Highbridge House used as accommodation for the staff and judiciary.
Cllr Karen Rowland (Labour, Abbey), lead councillor for environmental services and community safety at the council, said Highbridge House is “a lovely listed building”.
“It is a building from a listed building standpoint that has just really kind of been shunted into a world of surrounding modern structures but it is still quite charming,” she said.
“It’s a very charming building, so I’m really looking forward to the great benefits that it’s going to bring to the town.”
Councillor Micky Leng (Labour, Whitley) called for the courts service to hire people within Reading and the surrounding area.
The lead councillor for planning and assets said: “In this prestigious industry, I’d like to see some decent jobs coming back to local people and some proper education and skills plans that can really benefit local people, maybe joining up with the university, not just an off-site contribution or something like that.”
As a condition of the project, the Court and Tribunals Service is required to provide an Employment, Skills and Training Plan setting out the number of careers created by the move and the training opportunities that would be made available to neighbours.
Typically, developers can either provide a plan or an equivalent financial contribution to support employment, skills and training development elsewhere.
In this case, the courts service will agree to a provide an employment plan with the council before it occupies both buildings.
The move was unanimously approved by councillors on Wednesday, April 24.
The approval was for both bringing the Carbon building into use and changes to Highbridge House, which dates to the 1800s and has ‘architectural significance’ due to the Doric columns at its main entrance.
The approved project can be seen on Reading Borough Council’s planning website, searching for references 231190 and 231191.
