Plan for flats near reputed ‘prostitution hotspot’ in Reading clears key hurdle
A scheme to replace a row of garages with flats at the junction of Oxford Road and Western Elms Avenue — an area with a reputation for prostitution — has passed an important stage.
First Avenue Estates won full permission (PL/21/1626) to build a three-storey block of 13 flats after councillors described Western Elms Avenue as “a notorious spot” for anti-social behaviour at a planning committee in November 2023. A section 106 legal agreement with the council was signed on 18 February.
The building will contain six one‑bed, four two‑bed and three three‑bed apartments, with 16 car parking spaces provided.
EV charging hub approved at Morrisons (PL/25/1640)
Motor Fuel Group has permission to convert 44 parking spaces in the Morrisons car park in Reading into an electric vehicle charging hub, creating eight charging bays opposite the fuel station. The work involves installing four new chargers with canopies, and advertising consent for the canopies was approved on 19 February.
New family home in Caversham given the go‑ahead (PL/24/1035)
A site accessed from Maytree Walk that was once a garden for a Henley Road property will become a four‑bedroom family house. A previous approval from 2021 had lapsed; planning officer Anthony Scoles judged the two‑storey replacement would provide a good‑sized family dwelling with sufficient amenity space and no impact on neighbouring properties.
Change to Caversham flats approved (PL/25/1693)
Work has already started on converting part of a Bridge Street ground floor retail unit into a self‑contained flat and turning the upper floors into a five‑bed HMO. Officers have now approved a tweak: the ground floor will be a one‑bed flat rather than the originally proposed two‑bed, which they advised was more feasible.
You can view each approved plan by entering the reference number above into Reading Borough Council’s planning portal.
James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter
