Council approves 600 flats in town centre blocks

A "high quality" plan to build 600 flats in a town centre has been unanimously approved by councillors.

The latest phase of the Station Hill redevelopment was permitted in outline by Reading Borough Council in 2021.

On Wednesday, councillors approved details of the scheme, including improvements to public spaces between the two blocks.

The amended plans would be "less overbearing" and would have "considerable regeneration benefits", councillors were told.

Planning officer Steve Vigar said the revised plan had allayed fears of an "overly dense townscape".

He told the planning committee the change from a continuous L-shaped building to two separate blocks had allowed more public space and daylight as well as better pedestrian routes.

Councillor David Stevens said the Station Hill development had been a big improvement on the old bus station and office buildings that previously had occupied the site.

Fellow Labour councillor Micky Leng said the new homes had been badly needed.

He said the Station Hill developers "care about the town", recalling that they had agreed to install a plinth in memory of crane driver Glen Edwards, who rescued a Station Hill worker from a fire in 2023.

In previous developments on the site, Phase 1 saw Friars Walk shopping centre replaced by apartments and the Siren Craft bar, with Phase 2 seeing One Station Hill built on the site of the Garrard Street multi-storey car park.

The new flats - Phase 3A - will be split into 34 studios, 330 one-beds, 214 two-beds and 22 three-bed flats.

Xafinity House, a defunct multi-storey office building, would need to be demolished to make way for the apartments.

The development project is car-free, except for four disabled spaces, with 337 cycle spaces provided.