Reading offices that could have been flats set for demolition

Rose Kiln Court along the A33 served as offices for many years but has been vacant recently.

The building was previously occupied by Thames Water until the company vacated the offices in October 2020, according to a report by The Business Magazine.

Rose Kiln Court was originally meant to be kept and converted into 34-38 flats.

While those plans were approved in September 2021, ultimately the permissions for the project have lapsed, meaning they are no longer valid and are unlikely to be enacted in the future.

Now, the two-storey building is set to go for good, as a developer wants to replace it with three commercial units for industrial or storage and distribution use.

A CGI of the planned replacement commercial buildings for Rose Kiln Court in Rose Kiln Lane, Reading. Credit: Logicor Webb Gray

The project has been recommended for approval by the council planning officer Matt Burns, who did acknowledge the 'potential loss' of the site to meet the borough's housing needs.

If the previous plans were enacted, Rose Kiln Court would have provided either 38 one-bed flats or 34 flats containing a mix of one and two bedrooms.

However, Mr Burns noted that Cadogan House next door had been converted into 24 flats, lessening the burden on the need for housing provision in the area.

Furthermore, he argued that business development would be more appropriate for the area.

Mr Burns wrote:  "In purely land use terms, employment uses are more compatible with this location."

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Conversions of offices into flats have been unpopular with the council as these plans are considered permitted development, meaning scope for refusal is limited and the council misses out on financial contributions from the developers.

Mr Burns also judged that the project would have a limited impact on occupants of Cadogan House, as the nearest industrial unit would be 17m away from those flats at the closest point.

He therefore does not consider residents will suffer from lack of daylight or overshadowing.

Conditions have been suggested for controlling the construction to protect neighbours from disturbance.

An aerial view CGI of the plan for three industrial or storage and distribution units at Rose Kiln Court in the Coley area of Reading. (Image: Logicor / Webb Gray)

The recommendation for approval has been made on the condition that the developer Redwood Propco Sarl UK enter into a section 106 legal agreement with the council laying out financial contributions.

If an agreement is not reached, the council's assistant head of planning would be given the power to refuse the plan.

The project is set to be decided at a meeting of the council's planning applications committee on Wednesday, October 2.

You can view the application by typing reference 230826 into the council's planning portal.

A sale of the building for £5.88 million was undertaken in March 2022 by Industrials REIT estate company.