A major issue has been flagged at Reading's Cemetery Junction Arch that needs to be fixed before it can be opened to the public.

As previously reported, the iconic structure is set to undergo a transformation this autumn to allow it to be opened up to the public.

The building, which sits in between London Road and Wokingham Road in east Reading, has suffered from damp and has fallen into a state of disrepair. 

Nick Cooksey, the founding director of Junction Heritage and Arts Group, has been campaigning to secure funding to get the site open as an arts space for the community. 

He welcomed the news that Reading Borough Council is carrying out work to the building. 

He said: “It's fantastic that Reading Borough Council are undertaking these works, which will address the Arch’s most serious structural issue – the fact that the front of the building is coming away. 

“We have been keeping a close eye on the condition of the building. It was the stonework survey that we commissioned in 2023 that alerted the council to the state of the Arch, prompting them to carry out their own survey and instigate urgent repairs."

He said that their own survey picked up a major issue that needed to be fixed.

He said: “Our survey picked up another major issue that need to be addressed before it can be brought back in to use – structural problems to rear left-hand corner of the South Lodge, where a window also needs to be reinstated. A previous survey we commissioned in 2021 picked up a serious damp problem, which we plan to remedy by adding a French drain.

Mr Cooksey continued: “We have been working on securing grant funding since 2021, when the council accepted our offer to purchase the Arch. We have already received four grants, which we have used to fund the surveys and viability work, as well as community engagement events. We have recently submitted our first application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund. We should know by the end of November whether we have been successful. If so, we plan to address these issues then bring the Arch into use as community venue.”

The work will include a clean and refurbishment of its gates, if a listed building application is approved by the Planning Applications Committee, and will last for eight weeks.

Upon completion, full access through the arch will be restored.