Cycle hub plans scrapped after Primark backed out

Reading Borough Council said it had not been able to find an alternative premises after Primark revoked permission to use the unit in September 2023

A plan to create a bikes' storage hub in Reading has been scrapped after the council failed to find a suitable location.

Reading Borough Council unveiled and approved a project for a cycle hub in the town centre in 2022 at a vacant Primark offices unit in West Street.

But the retailer revoked permission to use the unit in September 2023 and the council said it had not been able to find an alternative premises.

A spokesperson for the authority said Active Travel England (ATE), which awarded the funding, had agreed for the money to be reallocated to other security schemes for cyclists.

The statement added: "This has included delivering other cycle security measures in the town centre such as refurbishing the Reading Station northern interchange cycle hub by repairing the cycle racks and missing panels and lighting, as well as giving the facility a deep clean."

It said the funding had also been used on a pilot scheme for the introduction of "more secure cycle pods", and there were plans for a pilot project introducing "a small number of cycle hangars across Reading".

The Local Democracy Reporting Service previously reported that one year of funding for the hub - which would have provided 82 secure cycle parking spaces, a bike loan scheme and a repair work desk - would amount to £249,454.

The spokesperson added that while the council was "not actively pursuing a new premises for a cycle hub at present, secure cycle parking remains a key objective of the Transport Strategy".

The spokesperson added that could include e-bikes and e-scooters following reviews of fire risk and "the legality of the use of e-scooters on public land".