Plans to make improvements to Reading West Station will be voted on next week.

Great Western Railway (GWR) updated the plans with a new look after criticism online and following discussions with Reading Borough Council (RBC) and Network Rail.

The latest designs show a newly-designed station building made of brick and glass, which will include ticket gates, toilets, and a cafe.

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The council’s Planning Applications committee will vote on the plans on Wednesday, January 13.

Councillor Tony Page, lead member for Strategic Environment, Planning and Transport at RBC, said: “The latest designs for Reading West Station are a huge improvement on the previous draft designs.

“Over the last few weeks, council officers and councillors have worked closely with GWR and its architects to improve all aspects of the designs.

“We now have a proposed station building, constructed from a range of coloured bricks and glass, much more in keeping with the surrounding Oxford Road and the nearby Conservation Area.”

Cllr Page added: “By marginally moving a bus stop and kerb lines on both sides of the road, the footpath directly in front of the station has been widened, addressing concerns expressed about access into and in front of the station.”

The pavement will be three metres wide outside the cafe booth.

The proposals include ‘futureproofing’ the new station building for the installation of lifts at Reading West, but the costs of rebuilding the platforms to enable lifts is currently ‘prohibitive’, according to Network Rail.

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Cllr Page added: “While there is no doubt that this scheme is a huge upgrade, it is important to say these improvements are the just the first stage of delivering a wider masterplan for Reading West Station.

“It has been a long-term ambition of Reading Borough Council for lifts to be installed at Reading West.

“However, we are informed by Network Rail that the bulk of the cost for this work comes with rebuilding the train platforms to accommodate the new lifts, rather than the lifts themselves.

“Unfortunately, these works have not been prioritised for funding at this time.

“We shall continue to lobby Government, our local MPs and Network Rail for the funding to deliver new platforms and lifts so as to make Reading West a totally accessible station fit for the 21st century.”

Planned changes at Reading West include ticket gates at both the Tilehurst Road and Oxford Road entrances to limit access to the station is limited to paying passengers only.

There will also be new lighting, CCTV, toilets, a retail facility and improved waiting areas, aimed at improving safety and security at Reading West.

Outside the station, an improved bus interchange will make it easier for commuters to swap from bus to train, with additional cycle parking also in place.

If approved next work, initial work could begin as early as March 2021 and the station would be ready by Spring 2022.