New plan to demolish Reading's historic malthouse for flats

What the new development could look like if plans are approved

New plans to demolish a 19th Century malthouse and use the site for flats have been lodged with a council.

Developers S2 Caversham applied to replace the building in Caversham Road, Reading, with a seven storey building in 2019 but it was rejected in 2020. An appeal also failed in 2021.

It wants to to build a six storey building with 29 flats, 15 flats less than previous applications.

The new building would be called The Malthouse to reflect the site's past.

The buildings date back to 1871 and were originally used as malthouses, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

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

They were used by Simonds Brewery but converted into shops in the early 20th Century.

Drews the Ironmongers opened in the 1930s before closing in December 2018.

The building was listed as a heritage asset in 2020 after an application by the Bell Tower Community Association (BTCA).

The plans will be discussed by Reading Borough Council later.