Major Changes Approved for Reading Town Centre

Changes have been made to a transformational project at a prominent corner site in Reading town centre.

Changes have been approved to a major scheme on the corner of Queen Victoria Street and Friar Street in Reading town centre.

Revisions to the Queen Victoria Street 1+ project, which includes a row of Friar Street shops, remove a planned green wall in the courtyard and add a retail kiosk linked to a 107-bed apartment hotel and new shops. The scheme, by Thackeray Estates, was originally approved in December 2022 and most of the latest changes were signed off by the council’s planning department on 14 January (PL/25/1106 and PL/25/1114).

Digital screens at the University of Reading (PL/25/1580)

The University of Reading has permission to install three digital screens at its Whiteknights Campus. Assessing the proposal, planning officer Catrin Davies wrote: “The proposed signs, at 1.8m in height, are relatively large in size and will naturally be prominent features.

“However, their positions spread through the campus means that they will not appear cluttered.”

Improvements at school special needs hub (PL/25/1671)

New Christ Church Primary School in Katesgrove will improve The Nest, its on-site Nurture Hub for pupils with more complex needs, by adding two toilets (including an accessible toilet) and new fencing. The hub sits in a dedicated block next to the main school.

House conversion refused (PL/25/1116)

An application to convert a terraced house on Mason Street, near the town centre, into three flats has been refused. The property currently has two flats; the owner wanted a rear extension and internal changes to create a two-bed and two one-bed flats. A planning agent said the works were needed to deliver “safe, functional, and high-quality accommodation”, but the plan was rejected – in part because the property could be turned into a family home instead, among other reasons.

You can view each decided application on Reading Borough Council’s planning portal using the reference numbers above.

James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter