Unanimous approval for Reading development

Plans for a sizeable mixed-use development in Reading have been unanimously approved.The outline application concerns a site on the Meadway Precinct and has been subject to a number of revisions.The version that went before Reading Council’s planning committee – which has now been backed – proposes a number of demolitions, with the main aspect being 258 new homes and retail space.At the moment, the site accommodates the northern part of the Meadway Centre, which itself comprises a shopping precinct with a central pedestrianised courtyard.This runs east-west with approximately 30 retail units framing the courtyard with a larger bookend site at the western extent of the precinct.Drawn up as outline proposals, the scheme has been designed to improve the “poor condition” of the area, which has been partially attributed to underinvestment over an extended period, but also due to the layout and arrangement of buildings and uses “which no longer meet current commercial needs”.The proposals went before Reading Council’s planning committee with a recommendation for approval and have now been unanimously backed.