A decision is due on a plan for John Lewis to build more than 150 apartments in Reading town centre as the company enters the housing market.
John Lewis is set to find out if it can build over 150 apartments in Reading town centre, marking its entry into the housing market.
The retailer has long aimed to become a build-to-rent landlord, targeting its closed customer collections centre for redevelopment.
The latest plan proposes 170 flats, down from an original 215, after feedback from local authorities.
The Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire & West Berkshire Integrated Care Board has raised concerns about the strain on healthcare services, requesting £146,880 from John Lewis to support a new primary care facility at Broad Street Mall.
While the development includes 79 one-bedroom, 81 two-bedroom, and 10 three-bedroom apartments, planning officer Anthony Scoles highlighted that 46% being one-beds goes against council policy, which limits them to 40%.
Additionally, only 10% of the flats will be affordable, falling short of the council’s 30% target. However, Scoles recommended approval, citing the redevelopment of an underutilised site and the addition of a communal garden as benefits.
A decision by councillors at the planning applications committee is expected on Thursday, October 9. The application can be viewed using reference PL/24/1155 on the council's planning portal.
John Lewis has also recently secured approval for 428 apartments above a Waitrose in West Ealing and 353 homes at a Waitrose in Bromley.
James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter
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