Cosmo Restaurant Set for Major Demolition

A project to demolish a busy buffet restaurant in Reading town centre to replace it with more than 100 apartments has cleared a crucial hurdle.

A plan to demolish Cosmo buffet, a popular restaurant in Reading town centre, has received the green light to make way for over 100 new apartments.

For more than a decade, Cosmo has offered Asian fusion and global cuisines, but it’s on borrowed time now. The Shaviram Group has secured permission from Reading Borough Council to replace the venue with an 11-storey building featuring 103 flats.

The approval came from the council's planning applications committee last September. The project will also involve tearing down a nearby townhouse that formerly housed the 9 Round gym, which was removed from the heritage list in 2018 for lack of architectural value.

Councillor Richard Davies (Labour, Thames) stated, “There’s no doubt in my mind that this will be a big improvement to this area,” referencing the current structures' poor state.

The apartment layout includes 19 studios, 22 one-beds, 56 two-beds, and 6 three-beds. Plans also indicate a new restaurant unit at ground level, with initial designs anticipating Cosmo’s return.

Execution of the project is contingent upon signing a Section 106 agreement with the council, finalised on November 19, which mandates financial contributions to support local services impacted by the development. Among the 103 apartments, 33 will be allocated as affordable housing, comprising 32% of the total.

Additionally, the Shaviram Group will contribute over £28,000 towards employment schemes and carbon offsetting initiatives. Public art installations celebrating figures such as Henry I and Jane Austen have also been placed near the construction site, which will be safeguarded during building work.

Shaviram Group is expected to commence construction within three years; otherwise, the approval will lapse. Details of the approved application can be found on the council’s planning portal using reference PL/22/0933.

Previous Shaviram projects in Reading include transforming Tamar House and Summit House into flats and enhancing the Merchant House building near Friar Street.

James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter