Thousands of new homes are on the way in Reading as a number of major developments have been approved this year.
The power to approve developments in the town is primarily held by Reading Borough Council’s planning applications department.
However, the biggest and perhaps most controversial decision to replace the Reading Station Shopping Park with 1,000 apartments and new facilities was actually made by the Conservative government.
On the other side of the road, a project to build more than 200 flats on the bank of the River Thames that also attracted controversy was approved by councillors after a redesign.
In the town centre, an all-you-can-eat buffet is set to be demolished to make way for more than 100 apartments.
North of the river, Caversham Park will be opened up for the first time in years after a development to create nearly 200 homes on the site was granted.
So here are the biggest plans that were approved in 2024, meaning developers can start work on these projects next year.
Reading Station Shopping Park (PL/20/0328)
The most controversial development approved this year, Aviva Life & Pensions UK won approval to transform Reading Station Shopping Park into a place for 1,000 apartments and new retail facilities.
The plan was meant to be decided years ago, but negotiations between planning officers and Aviva reached an impasse which ultimately led to the application not being determined in time, leading Aviva to appeal to the government’s planning inspectorate.
Councillors were strongly opposed to the development. During a meeting in February 2022, the council’s planning applications committee unanimously voted that they would have refused it if they had been given the final verdict.
But after years of deliberation, the project was approved by Michael Gove, the Conservative secretary of state for local government in March this year.
The council even attempted to mount a legal challenge against the decision, but this failed due to a procedural error that forced the council to abandon the challenge.
Approval of the project means the days of Aldi, The Range, One Beyond, Majestic Wine and TGI Fridays are numbered.
However, because the plans have only been approved on outline, more detailed applications require approval before the development can go ahead.
You can view details on the council’s planning portal using the references in brackets.
SSE site (PL/23/1673)
Another project that initially proved controversial according to councillors was the Berkeley Homes plan to replace the locally listed old power station in Vastern Road with 209 flats.
The application was refused in April 2021, with councillors arguing the developers had failed to provide an adequate foot and cycle route through the development, and raised fears that the new towers would overshadow the River Thames.
Although the project was approved on appeal to the planning inspectorate in March 2022, Berkeley Homes was forced to redesign after post-Grenfell legislation mandated that any buildings that are a minimum of 18 metres tall must have two stair cores to provide easier escape for residents in the event of a fire.
The redesign was approved during a planning applications committee in March.
The street created by the development will be named Bet Tickner Way in honour of the former Labour councillor and mayor from 2006/07, who died in January 2024.
But the project was hit with complaints from a neighbour who argued that preliminary works had caused damage to his £30,000 conservatory.
Groundbreaking on the project began at the end of October.
Cosmo to be replaced with 103 flats (PL/22/0933)
The building that contains the Cosmo all-you-can-eat buffet and closed 9Round kickboxing gym in Friar Street is set to be demolished to make way for 103 flats.
The project first emerged in 2022, with developer the Shaviram Group promising a re-provided restaurant and a landscaped terrace on the seventh floor accessible to occupants.
The plan underwent two adjustments in July 2023 and April before it was approved by councillors in September.
During the meeting, councillors praised the promise to provide 33 affordable units in the new tower building, in compliance with the council’s affordable housing policies.
Caversham Park (PL/22/0409)
Beechcroft Developments won approval to redevelop Caversham Park to provide a total of 199 homes in June.
The project involves converting the Grade II listed mansion house into 65 assisted living units made up of 23 one-bed apartments, 40 two-bed apartments and two two-bed houses.
Elsewhere on the site, Beechcroft will build a 64-bed care home, 12 age-restricted retirement dwelling houses contained within three two-storey buildings, 29 age-restricted retirement dwellings for the over 55’s, and 27 affordable homes.
Notably, people will be able to walk and cycle through the site which has been sealed off for security reasons while it was owned by the BBC from 1943 to 2018, a period of 75 years.
