Reading plan could see buildings changed into 157 room hotel

Thackeray Group has plans to build a 157 room hotel, which would involve demolishing the buildings which currently house Revolucion de Cuba and the Eyesite opticians.

The Bugle pub, which closed during the pandemic and has not since reopened, would be retained, according to the Reading-on-Thames blog.

It is understood details of Thackeray Groups’ plan to replace the current buildings with the hotel were revealed at a Zoom meeting held by Reading Civic Society.

The proposals can be viewed in detail on the dedicated queenvictoriastreet.co.uk website, with the aim for a planning application submitted to Reading Borough Council for the project.

READ MORE: Progress on the plans set to change Reading forever in 2022 

Last year, Thackery Group won approval to transform 1-15 Queen Victoria Street and 147-148 Friar Street with 3,308sqm of new retail space and 41 bed apartment-hotel, called the Queen Victoria Place development.

The plan involves creating a new space by demolishing older buildings and replacing them with retail space for businesses.

A CGI of Thackeray Group plans for buildings it owns in Friar Street, Reading. Credit: Thackeray Group

According to Alan Bunce from UK Property Forums, Thackeray Group owns a sizeable portion of the town centre, running from numbers 138-145 Friar Street.

It also plans to redevelop 145-146 Friar Street, the buildings which houses Reading Food & Wine and WH Smith.

Thackeray Group has driven some recent development in the town centre, with 1 Station Road, where the US burger chain Wendy’s opened in June last year.

Meanwhile, the closed Cafe Nero at the junction of Friar Street and Queen Victoria Street is due to become a Black Sheep Coffee branch.