The project that replaced Wickes and Iceland on Weldale Street, near Reading town centre, has been completed. The prominent site on the IDR was demolished from 2019 to make way for 418 one-, two- and three-bed build-to-rent flats after receiving planning approval in 2017.
Allsop Letting and Management celebrated the development's completion on Thursday 29 January, with guests enjoying prosecco, light bites and live music by Leon Dixon, an award-winning pianist.
The newest building, Emporium House East, contains more than 160 apartments plus a games and media room and a co-working space. Kathryn Jordan, an Allsop lettings manager, said: “In this building, we have resident lounges, a games room, a pool table.
“Our media room is set up like a lounge, and we have a large screen so we can do movie nights and sports.
“But one of the big features here is the working spaces.
“So many people are working from home now, it's great to have such a large cohort of areas that you can work in.
“And also, residents can invite colleagues to come and work with them.”
Mrs Jordan highlighted what she called a 'loneliness epidemic' among people working from home, which is why the lower ground floor has been turned into a co-working space. She explained: “We're finding a lot of our residents have been feeding back to us the fact that they feel that they've become quite isolated working from home in their apartments.
“So this gives them the opportunity to work from home, but in a more sociable setting.”
Residents can use facilities across both buildings. The neighbouring block offers a gym, a hireable dining room and an outdoor barbecue area, and Allsop is developing a booking system so people living elsewhere can access the Emporium House East co-working space.
The development has had several names. During planning it was called 'Foundry Quarter', then rebranded to 'Domain Reading' when the first phase finished in Spring 2022. That first phase delivered 253 apartments; the recently completed second phase added 165, bringing the total to 418.
Allsop was appointed as management company in 2024, when the scheme was rebranded Emporium House and the first phase became Emporium House West.
At the time planning was approved in November 2017 the project faced criticism from councillors: Jason Brock (Labour, Southcote) called it “boring and poorly designed”, and Tony Page (Labour, Abbey) described the affordable housing offer of 10 per cent as “woeful”. Both councillors left the council in 2024.
Wickes had closed at the Weldale Street site in 2009 after relocating to the Reading Retail Park. Iceland shut its Weldale Street store in September 2018 and opened in Broad Street Mall in June 2019.
James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter
