A project that will see an office block replaced with more than 250 apartments could create a new 'destination area' at the riverside in Reading.

The Norman Place office building on the south bank of the River Thames, located off Vastern Road has been vacant for years since the coronavirus pandemic.

Plans show Norman Place replaced with new apartments with developers hoping to create a 'destination area' for residents present and future.

Apartment providers Packaged Living and the Bridges Fund Management investment company are hoping to knock down Norman Place after acquiring the office building in July last year.

READ MORE: Sketches show want project to replace riverside offices with more than 250 flats could look like

In its place, the developers want to build approximately four blocks around seven storeys tall, containing a total of 254 'high-quality river-facing rental apartments'.

The developers want to open the Thames riverside up to the public so that more people can enjoy the waterfront location, with the project being dubbed 'Waterfront Place'.

A CGI shows people enjoying themselves by the river, with a publicly accessible cafe at ground level.

The Waterfront Square project for 254 apartments to replace the Norman Place office in Reading.The Waterfront Square project for 254 apartments to replace the Norman Place office in Reading. (Image: Packaged Living)

The developers have pledged to plant 61 trees as part of the project, including trees at the riverside and maintaining the mature trees lining Vastern Road.

Describing the ethos of the project, Packaged Living COO Mark Woodrow said: “We are delighted to have worked with hundreds of local stakeholders including Reading Borough Council to propose replacing an obsolete and vacant office block with a thriving new community around a new Waterfront public square on the Thames.

“Historically industrial and office buildings have turned their back on the Thames in central Reading.

“Instead we propose to make this a valued and enjoyable public asset for the town – whether you are a resident in the development, a dog walker, a cyclist or on your lunch break.

“We will create a place to pause, meet, relax and enjoy.”

The developers have touted the 'environmental and social value is at the heart of the scheme' which involves energy efficiency measures and embodied carbon being minimised through the building material selection process.

Bridges director Celia Harrison said: “In Reading, as in many other settlements across the UK, there is a clear shortage of high-quality new homes to satisfy rental demand.

“Across the Bridges platform, we are already on course to deliver over 3,000 much-needed new homes, and we’re excited by the opportunity to bring forward well-designed, highly sustainable homes alongside new improved public spaces at Waterfront Place.”

Plans have been submitted to Reading Borough Council, with the developers providing reference code PL/24/0958.

However, the project is unable to be viewed yet as it hasn't been validated by the council.

There have been no applications validated on the council's website for the last two weeks according to a search of its weekly list of applications.

Packaged Living has also been appointed as the provider and manager of the project to build 436 apartments at The Oracle, in partnership with the centre owners Hammerson.