The council failed in its bid to buy Reading’s town centre police station, it has been revealed.

A council report shows Thames Valley Police (TVP) rejected Reading Borough Council’s (RBC) latest bid for the Castle Street site in January 2021.

The report, on plans to push forward with the regeneration of the Minster Quarter in the town’s historic centre, says: “The council continued negotiations with TVP over the potential purchase of their site and in January 2021 Reading Borough Council made a further offer to acquire the TVP Site.

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“This was rejected and the site was placed on the market to sell.”

The police are moving to another site in Green Park next year and attempting to sell the site beforehand.

RBC had hoped to buy the police station building as part of plans to regenerate the Minster Quarter, which includes Broad Street Mall, council-owned open space including where the former Civic Centre was, the Magistrates’ Court and Reading Town Police Station.

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Councillor Tony Page, lead member for Planning and deputy leader of the council, said: “We made what we regarded as a good offer for the police station, and they rejected it.”

The council will move ahead with its plans to regenerate the area, with the police station building still part of the Minster Quarter Development Framework.

This means the successful purchaser of the site will need to take the framework into account when deciding what to do with it.

TVP is moving its Reading base to Atlantic House in Green Park from March 2022.

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A TVP spokesman said: “Thames Valley Police undertook a detailed dialogue with RBC from late 2019 to see whether terms for a sale to RBC could be agreed.

“Terms could not be agreed, and therefore TVP have marketed the property to achieve best consideration.

“RBC were given the opportunity to bid along with other parties.

“Reading Police Station was marketed by our agents Lambert Smith Hampton in late January 2021, with interested parties invited to make bids by the end of March, with a further round of bidding to mid-May.

“It is anticipated that a formal recommendation regarding which bid to progress with will be made to the PCC shortly.”