A huge office building in Reading town centre is set to be converted into more than 100 flats.
Abbey Gardens, which previously served as rentable offices, can be converted into one and two-bed apartments under permitted development rights.
Elsewhere, advertising changes are coming to businesses in the town centre, including a Thai restaurant that has taken over from an American barbecue diner.
Out west, a plan to build eight flats near the borough boundary with Purley has been rejected.
You can view each application featured by typing the reference in brackets into Reading Borough Council’s planning portal.
Office complex conversion into 104 flats (PL/25/0918)
The Abbey Gardens office complex along Kings Road in the town centre is due to be converted into 53 one-bed and 54 two-bed apartments.
The conversion has been approved under permitted development rules introduced in 2013 that allow commercial buildings to be converted into housing in a fast-tracked approval process.
Planning officer Nathalie Weekes found that the proposed apartments comply with minimum size standards and daylight access rules.
Earlier this year, the McGrath group won permission to convert Abbey Gardens into 92 flats.
Thai restaurant branding approved (PL/25/0819)
A new Thai restaurant in the town centre has had its signage approved.
The Eatnau Thai took over from the Bluegrass BBQ in Gun Street in July.
The small restaurant chain, which has other locations in London and High Wycombe, won permission for its black and gold signage in Reading on August 22.
Bluegrass BBQ closed down all of its sites in February this year.
Hollywood Bowl applies for lit-up signage (PL/25/1180)
Hollywood Bowl at The Oracle has applied for new illuminated signage.
Earlier this year, unlit signs were put up to replace the House of Fraser branding.
Now the company has applied for letter-only illumination for its signage, with lighting matching that of The Oracle and Premier Inn.
A planning agent from Hudson Sign Solutions stated: “Our letters are considerably smaller than the Oracle letters. Our client is happy that this sign is fitted to a time clock where the sign would go off when they close.”
Eight flats along Oxford Road rejected (PL/25/0102)
A plan to demolish four flats in Oxford Road and replace them with eight apartments has been rejected.
The house was converted into four flats previously, with the owner applying to knock it down and replace it with a large new building containing six one-bed flats and two two-bed flats.
However, council planning officer Anthony Scoles argued that the replacement building would be a cramped overdevelopment of the site and failed to provide affordable housing. The project was therefore rejected on August 22.
The house, situated opposite the former Peugeot and SsangYong dealerships, was sold by Prospect estate agents.
