Reading: Town's revamp plans set for approval

The plans include converting upper floors of buildings in the town into 104 aparthotel rooms

Plans to redevelop a corner of a town centre are set to get the go ahead.

Thackeray Estates wants to transform Queen Victoria Street and Friar Street in Reading, adding a seven-storey hotel, market square and shops.

The scheme would see existing businesses on both streets temporarily closing or relocating while the revamp takes place.

If it gets the go ahead on Wednesday, the 163-bedroom hotel could be finished by the summer.

The plans could see a courtyard shopping and leisure area on the corner of Queen Victoria Street and Friar Street.

The upper floors of the buildings would be converted into 104 aparthotel rooms - serviced apartments which can be rented.

A CGI image of new shops in Queen Victoria Street

The seven-storey Jury's hotel would be built in Friar Street.

The Bugle pub which closed in October 2021 - is not coming back into use as a pub, under the plans it would be incorporated into the hotel.

The plans have been recommended for approval subject to a legal agreement, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported.

The Section 106 legal agreement will define how much in developer contributions Thackeray Estates must pay to the council to fund improvements to council-run infrastructure.

If it is not reached, councillors will give the assistant director of planning the power to refuse the applications.