Police plans for old prison scrapped

Reading prison has been standing empty for over 10 years

Plans to use a disused prison as a training ground for armed police have suddenly been shelved.

The Ziran Education Foundation bought Reading Prison from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) for £7m in January.

Thames Valley Police (TVP) was hoping to use the prison site for five years, until the foundation had finalised its plans for the site.

But a spokesperson for the force said the application had been withdrawn "at the request of the owners who wish to concentrate on their plans".

Currently, TVP's authorized firearms officers - who use a range of weapons including tasers, air weapons, pistols and automatic rifles - are trained at the force's training centre in Sulhamstead, West Berkshire.

The plans for the prison involved the gatehouse, administration building and amenities building on the site, as well as four of the prison wings.

But the plans were withdrawn following discussions with The Ziran Education Foundation.

The company was selected as the purchaser by ministers from the previous Conservative government, which stated that the MoJ had raised £105m through the sale of former prison sites nationwide since 2014.

In 2016 the prison opened to the public as part of an Artangel project

Reading Prison is infamous for being where Irish writer Oscar Wilde was incarcerated - effectively for being gay.

The last inmates moved from the prison, affectionately known as Reading Gaol, in November 2013.

A spokesperson for The Ziran Education Foundation said in March they wanted to turn it into a museum and an art-inspired hotel.