A suggestion to name a road in Reading after one of its most famous living patrons has divided public opinion.
Earlier this year, it emerged that Reading Borough Council is considering renaming the A33 after Sir John Madejski.
Sir John is a successful businessman who was the founder of the magazine that became Auto Trader and invested millions in Reading FC.
As the chairman of the club, he facilitated its move from Royal Elm Park in West Reading to the Madejski Stadium in Whitley, which opened in 1998.
Thamesbridge College in Hartland Road was reopened as the John Madejski Academy (JMA) after Sir John invested £3 million in the school in 2010.
However, his name has been erased from both the stadium and the school in recent years.
That prompted a suggestion to name a stretch of the A33 ‘John Madejski Way’, which has divided opinion.
A consultation on the change has been held with residents and ward councillors.
While one resident supported the change, the other respondents were largely sceptical.
The supporter said: “Yes, Yes, Yes!
“I was gutted when Reading FC were forced to sell the Stadium naming rights, and so to have the main road going into Reading and passing the stadium named in his honour would be wonderful.”
However, the two other residents who responded were concerned about changing the identity of the road, and stated that it will always be referred to as ‘Basingstoke Road’ anyway, just as Broad Street Mall continues to be called the Butts Centre.
The responses feature in a report ahead of a decision on renaming the A33.
Councillors from Coley, Katesgrove and Whitley wards were consulted, but their names are anonymised in the report.
A councillor from Coley said: “It is unnecessary to rename the road. It is known as the A33.
“It is unusual to rename a road after someone who is still alive.
“The same person has already had a school named after him in return for his donation.
“Has John Madejski donated to certain Reading causes in return for a prominent road name?
“If so, this needs to be more clearly in the public eye. If there is no money involved this time, then it would seem to be free advertising.
“If it must be renamed to make Rose Kiln Lane easier to understand, how about naming it posthumously after someone who made a large contribution to Reading? ‘Palmer Street’, or ‘Stripes Way’ after the warming stripes developed at our university?”
A Whitley councillor said: “My view, and that of some residents that I have talked to in the ward, is that this is an admirable way to honour Sir John Madjeski, but it is not effective in the holistic way of things, as people would always call the road A33, just like the stadium; it is still called by the locals and others the John Madjeski Stadium.
“Also, the road is a major road which is commercially and personally
used by many.
“There are other roads, squares, or places that we could honour Sir John as an icon of his time, and we should find out what other places are doing.
“With how people are feeling about the Cost of Living at the moment, especially in Whitley ward (the most deprived area), it would really upset many people if there is a financial allocation.”
Furthermore, a councillor from Katesgrove said: “At a time when council
resources are stretched, and that stretch is regularly impacting core services, the voluntary diversion of officers’ time and resources to vanity projects like this is not justified.
“Putting expense and inconvenience upon the residents [to rename] the road for the same purpose is no more justifiable.
“Sir John is a wealthy man who can and does manage his own legacy.
“As a town, we can be very grateful to him without diverting resources away from helping residents whose needs are more fundamental.
“I’m sure Sir John will appreciate and understand this.”
A decision is set to be made by the council’s planning applications committee on October 7.
The Reading FC ground was renamed the Select Car Leasing Stadium in 2021, and JMA was renamed Hartland High School in September last year.
All councillors for Katesgrove ward are from the Green Party, all the councillors for Whitley are Labour, and Coley has two Labour councillors and one Green.
