Nine huge sites including office buildings and a hotel could be converted to provide thousands of new homes in Reading.
As part of the Reading Local Plan update, Reading Borough Council issued a call for suggested sites earlier this year.
Recently a number of these sites have been considered by the council as acceptable places for new homes and other uses in the town.
The council published its draft partial update of the Local Plan late last month, which helps determine how planning applications will be decided on for years to come.
Within that, 17 sites for development have been suggested by landowners, of which nine of the biggest are covered here.
Most of those suggested are office buildings in the town centre, and a decent number of them are at sites on the Reading side of the River Thames.
That includes the Crowne Plaza hotel and Reading Bridge House.
The partial update to the Local Plan is currently undergoing a consultation on the Consult Reading website, with the deadline for responses being January 31, 2024.
You can view the nine sites and what could happen to them below
Aquis House
Aquis House at the junction of Forbury Road and Blagrave Street, which currently serves as offices, could be redeveloped into a mix of apartments and offices.
Once redeveloped, the building could stand between 10 to 15 storeys tall.
Reading Central Library
As the council is bringing the library into the current civic offices in Bridge Street, that frees up the Central Library site in Abbey Square to become a ‘residential-led’ development.
John Lewis Depot
The closed depot site in Mill Lane has been identified for a 200-home-built-to-rent residential development.
John Lewis Partnership joined with Scottish investment company abrdn to propose the development of the site in December 2022.
Crowne Plaza
A number of options for the hotel in Richfield Avenue are being considered.
These options could involve a mix of uses through full or partial redevelopment of the hotel with a restaurant, a major residential development or a care home.
READ MORE: 132-bed hotel plan next to Crowne Plaza set to be rejected by council
According to the Local Plan draft, it could even become an electric vehicle charging station and garage.
It’s unclear whether that would replace the existing BP station opposite.
Norman Place
The old Covea Insurance office at Norman Place off Vastern Road has been identified as a site for up to 240 homes.
Earlier this year, developer Packaged Living revealed that it was aiming to build 234 rental apartments on the site.
Reading Bridge House
This 10-storey office building south of the Thames could be converted into 300-400 apartments according to the Local Plan update draft.
Kennet Place
This building located on an island of the River Kennet which currently serves as offices could be converted or redeveloped to provide 60-100 homes.
Sapphire Plaza and Royal Court
These buildings, which are next to Kennet Place, could be redeveloped to provide between 250-400 homes and 3,000 sqm of commercial space.
Reading Link Retail Park
The Reading Link Retail Park could become a mixed-use site of 2,300 sqm of retail space and 200 homes.
The park is currently occupied by Home Bargains, The Food Warehouse, Matalan, a Starbucks drive-thru and other stores.
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