A major change has been made to a project to replace a historic pub, a bar and a shop in Reading town centre.
The development company Thackeray Estates owns several buildings along Friar Street and its junction with Queen Victoria Street.
It is driving forward with a project called QVS1+ which involves the creation of a 107-bedroom apartment-hotel and a new courtyard area that has led to the demolition of 146 Friar Street, the Reading Food & Wine store.
A separate element of the development is the demolition of Revolucion de Cuba and a neighbouring shop to make way for a hotel with more than 163 rooms, called QVS2.
Although an initial plan for QVS2 was approved at a Reading Borough Council planning applications committee meeting in December 2022, the vision for the project has changed significantly.
Previously, Thackeray Estates wanted to create a hotel on the site.
Now, the company wants to build 145 one-bed ‘co-living’ apartments there instead.
The rooms would come with a bed, a table, a chair, basic cooking facilities and a toilet, with either a shower or a bath.
Residents would then make use of an open plan lounge and games area, a dining area with garden space, a dining area, a gym, co-working space and cleaning facilities.
Another big change is what Thackeray Estates wants to do with The Bugle pub.
According to the approved project, it would have been incorporated into the hotel itself, creating a character area from the pub building, which dates back to 1841.
But this has been changed in the revised plan, which would separate the pub and convert it into a separate commercial unit open between 7am to 10pm daily.
A document from the Daniel Watney Partnership planning agents states: “As there is currently no operator identified for the unit, it is considered appropriate to propose opening hours that would accommodate a broad range of potential occupiers, whether their business model is focused on early morning trade or evening custom.”
The design remains similar to that approved, creating a six-storey building with a basement, albeit with frontage changes to reflect the proposed new use and a reduction in the height as well.
Revolucion de Cuba has been closed since January this year, and the neighbouring building, 142 Friar Street, is now occupied by ‘Fone Store’.
The plan has been submitted by the National Pub Portfolio Limited, which is linked to Thackeray Estates.
You can view the application by typing reference 26/1121 into the council’s planning portal.
It is not the first time Thackeray Estates has adjusted its plans for the buildings it owns.
QVS1+ was revised in 2024, increasing apartment-hotel rooms from 103 to 107, but reducing commercial units from four to three and removing a laundry facility.
