A logistics hub passed by thousands each day in Reading is nearing completion as work continues on four new warehouses at the Reading International Business Park (Campus Reading).
Progress on logistics hub at business park (PL/26/0017)
The site, between the main Campus Reading building and the Premier Inn, will house the four logistical warehouses. The site owner has won permission to submit a BREEAM assessment later than first agreed — planning officer Alison Amoah said it would be acceptable to carry out the final BREEAM assessment six months after occupation rather than before occupation.
Conversion of benefits office into flats (PL/26/0037)
Plans to convert the former Eaton Court benefits office in Oxford Road into 52 flats near Reading town centre have been conditionally approved. Eaton Court had been used for health and disability assessments for the Department for Work and Pensions until it closed in 2022.
Principal planning officer Antony Scoles approved the removal of existing plant equipment provided no new equipment is installed, and the owner’s contractors must follow a construction management plan.
Norcot bungalow plan rejected (PL/25/1431)
A bid to add a two-bedroom bungalow within the curtilage of an existing house on Norcot Road — with parking and shared road access — has been refused. Planning officers objected because it would have caused an 'unwarranted loss' of trees and biodiversity and would have required demolition of a garage that might be hosting 'roosting bats'.
Shop advertising for grocers refused (PL/25/1802)
In Oxford Road, signage and an awning for a shop unit that had been vacant for about 10 years were rejected. Russell House has recently been brought back into use as the Eco Market halal convenience store, and a separate project to reuse the former Leightons Opticians premises was approved in July 2024. But planning officer Marcelina Rejwerska ruled the Eco Market signage was unsympathetic, excessive and created clutter; a rejection notice was issued on 6 February.
You can view each decided application on Reading Borough Council’s planning portal by entering the reference shown in brackets.
James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter
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