Councillors save historic Reading malthouse from demolition

The 19th Century building was originally built as malthouse before it became a hardware shop

A 19th Century malthouse has been saved after councillors rejected plans to replace it with flats.

Plans for the building in Caversham Road, Reading, had been given the green light by council planning officers.

Developer S2 Estates said the 44 flats would provide "much needed housing".

But Reading council's planning committee rejected the idea over concerns about the loss of the locally-listed building and the height of the apartment block.

It comes after more than a thousand people signed a petition opposing the plan, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

Developer S2 Estates wanted to replace the old building with an apartment block with 44 flats