A former mobility store is set to be converted back into an off licence at a busy shopping area of south Reading.

The Ablewood Mobility Store relocated to Boulton Road in Whitley recently, vacating the unit in Shinfield Road which it occupied for just under 10 years.

The shop has been shuttered since then.

Now the premises will be converted into the Big Bazaar convenience store, which will be open from 7am to 11pm each day.

A Reading Borough Council meeting was held to determine whether alcohol could be sold from the store at these times.

Neighbours had objected to the application, raising concerns about alcohol-related anti-social behaviour.

In an objection, a couple living nearby said: "We live within a one-minute walk and feel that an alcohol licence would have a detrimental effect on the local area, which already suffers from antisocial behaviour and is a relatively deprived area with nearby social housing."

However, Surendra Panchal, the licensing agent for the applicants, pointed out that neither Thames Valley Police nor the council's licensing team had objected.

Agreed conditions include a Challenge 25 age verification policy, the continuous operation of CCTV during opening hours and staff training on managing alcohol sales and handling incidents.

The decision to grant the alcohol licence for the store at 221 Shinfield Road was made at a meeting of Reading Borough Council's licensing applications sub-committee on Wednesday, July 31.

Councillor Paul Woodward (Labour, Church), committee chair, quipped that the meeting 'set a record' for the shortest meeting he has held, coming in at around 13 minutes.

The licence was granted in a decision by cllrs Woodward, Glenn Dennis (Labour, Kentwood) and Louise Keane (Green, Katesgrove).

The businessman who applied for the licence said he aimed to open Big Bazaar in four weeks time.

The conversion means the shop will go back to being a convenience store, as the ground floor of the building used to be occupied as a Premier store.

The Shinfield dental and implants practice that occupies the first and second floors continues to operate.

The building is in a busy area of Shinfield Road next to Pret A Manger and the Londis Shell garage.

The Big Bazaar business already has three locations in the town, with two stores along Wokingham Road in East Reading and London Road closer to the town centre.