New hotel plan in the heart of Reading town centre approved

The building in Friar Street is currently occupied by the 'Friars Street Convenience Store' at ground level, providing a place for people to pick up confectionary, drinks, tobacco and more.

It is three storeys tall, with the first and second floors currently being used as storage space for the store.

But now the property owner has won permission to transform the building into a serviced apartments-style hotel.

While the ground floor would be retained for retail use, the upper floors and an additional upward extension would be turned into short-stay rooms.

A CGI of 136-137 Friar Street in Reading, where there is an approved project for a rear extension to provide an apart-hotel. Credit: Colony Architects

Specifically, the development will create 14 ensuite hotel rooms, of which one will be accessible for a disabled guest using a lift.

The disabled room is provided on the first floor, along with a lounge and concierge office.

Furthermore, the project will involve the demolition of parts of the existing building to create a courtyard to its rear, providing a small garden for guests.

The ground and first floor layout for the approved project to add 14 serviced apartments to 136-137 Friar Street, Reading. Credit: Colony Architects

Justifying the development, a planning agent from Nexus Planning said: “The proposed development is a carefully designed modern response to the existing building and character of the wider area.

“It combines both the retention of local character and innovation to provide a building that is fitting of this key location in Reading.”

The terms of the approval of the project by Reading Borough Council are mysterious.

While the planning application is listed as being approved subject to a legal agreement, it is not clear when it was granted and who made the decision.

That's because a planning officer report and a decision notice cannot be found on the council's planning website.

The website does state that the application 'expiry date' was reached on March 15, implying a decision was made close to that date.

However, no documents indicating the decision and conditions the developer must comply with have appeared on the planning website.

The developer, Arun Serviced Apartments, must enter into a section 106 legal agreement laying out financial contributions to the council before the project can begin.

You can view the documents that are available by typing reference PL/23/1266 into the planning portal.

The existing building is situated immediately next to an approved project to demolish Revolucion de Cuba and the former EyeSite opticians and replace them with a 163-bed Leonardo Hotel.

A CGI of the approved plan to turn a building in Friar Street into a serviced apartment hotel, next to the approved QVS2 project in Friar Street, Reading. (Image: Colony Architects)

The separate project by Thackeray Estates was approved in 2022, and will incorporate the closed Bugle pub into the new hotel building.

Acknowledging the neighbouring development, the planning agent argued that the council has accepted the redevelopment and increase in height of buildings in Friar Street.