Reading 60 home Carters plan, office conversion applied for

The Carters store, which sold outdoor clothing and snow equipment until closing in December 2019 could be replaced with 60 homes.

Closer to the town centre, a developer has applied to convert vacant office space into apartments, and an optician could be relocating from inside The Oracle onto Broad Street.

They are among the plans that have been submitted recently.

You can view the applications by typing the reference in brackets into the council’s planning portal.

Carters redevelopment (221324)

The old Carters outdoor sports store at 97a-117 Caversham Road in Reading. Credit: Google Maps

Bellway Homes has applied to demolish the old Carters store and build 60 homes in its place.

The homes would consist of a mix of one-to-three bed apartments and 10 four bedroom houses.

Of the flats, 14 would be three-bed, 19 two-bed and 17 one-bed.

The site plan for the Carters redevelopment in Caversham Road, Reading, with a total of 60 homes. Credit: RM_A

Meanwhile, the houses would be contained in three-storey terraces, with a row of six and row of four located to the rear of the site.

The development comes with a total of 30 car parking spaces and 20 cycle spaces.

It also complies with the council’s 30 per cent affordable housing policy, with 20 per cent affordable rent and 10 per cent shared ownership.

Conversion plan for Queen’s Wharf (221383 and 221384)

Queens Wharf, 47 Queens Road, central Reading. Credit: Ashton Architecture Ltd

Here, the applicant Metrix Developments has applied to convert the ground floor of Queen’s Wharf in central Reading into apartments.

The ground floor is currently unoccupied office space.

Now, Metrix developments want to turn it into space for either seven or nine apartments.

Application 221383 would provide seven apartments: three two-beds, three one-beds, and one studio flat.

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Application 221384 would provide three two-beds, one studio flat and five one-bedroom units.

Both plans would see 12 cycle parking spaces installed in the lower ground floor of Queen’s Wharf, which would remain as a car park and service area.

Vision Express relocation plan (221474)

120 Broad Street, Reading. It used to serve as the home of Carphone Warehouse. Credit: Child Graddon Lewis

Vision Express to relocate from inside The Oracle to another unit facing onto Broad Street.

The unit 120 Broad Street, used to be occupied by the Carphone Warehouse, which closed in April 2020.

Now, Vision Express has applied for advertising consent for its trademark purple logo to replace the Carphone Warehouse dark blue the store is currently painted with.

The future of the unit is unclear, as earlier this year sushi chain Wasabi won approval to take it over for a takeaway with 14 seats inside.

Plan for larger kitchens for two homes (221419)

The planned extensions for 38-40 Piggotts Road in Caversham. Credit: Cookham Design Partnership

Jason Ballard, the owner of 38-40 Piggotts Road in Caversham, has applied to build larger kitchens for both homes.

The two terraced homes are attached to each other, and currently provide occupants with a bedroom, bathroom and a modest living room downstairs.

A single storey extension for both would provide occupants with a larger kitchen and a downstairs toilet and access to their gardens.