Reading town centre cycle hub given approval

The secure cycle hub is aimed at reducing the number of bike thefts

A secure facility for cyclists, aimed at reducing bike thefts, is set to be created in Reading town centre.

Reading Borough Council is to lease the former Primark store in West Street to provide 82 secure parking spaces for bicycles.

The hub will also provide a maintenance rack as well as advice and a bicycle loan and donation scheme.

The council said the number of bicycles being stolen in the town was at a "historic high".

One year of funding for the creation of the hub, amounting to £249,454, has been received from the Department for Transport's Capability Fund, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The cycle hub will be in the former Primark store in West Street

Cabinet member for transport Tony Page said the town was "plagued" with bike thefts.

"Particularly with the development of electric bikes there's a real need to offer a facility that can offer much greater security than is currently available," he said.

The project was given unanimous approval at a meeting of the council's planning committee.

The hub, open seven days a week, will also come with a low-level maintenance rack so cyclists can inflate tyres and change wheels.