A vacant post office in south Reading is set to become a café.

Plans were submitted earlier this month to Reading Borough Council (RBC) to transformation of the disused Whitley Wood Post Office, on 168 Whitley Wood Road, into a café.

But the application has been withdrawn by the applicant today as new national legislation means the change of use no longer needs approval from the council.

Before Sept 1st, the applicant would have needed prior approval from Reading Borough Council (RBC).

The application was submitted after 1st Sept, so the new regulations apply.

Whitley Café will serve food such as sandwiches, soup, poached eggs, paninis and toasties, if the council approves the plan.

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Mr Patel plans to open the café from 7am to 3pm, Monday-Saturday, and 7am to 2pm on Sundays.

The premises have been vacant since December 2016 and owner Piyush Patel was given permission to convert the shop into a café with an ancillary takeaway in April 2019.

Mr Patel had submitted the final necessary documents to allow him to convert the post office into a café under prior approval legislation.

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But the legislation no longer needed, he can now go ahead with the plans.