A plan to replace a defunct club along one of the busiest roads in Reading with 30 flats and a shop has been refused.
Plans to replace the Curzon Club on one of Reading’s busiest roads with flats and a shop have been refused.
The Curzon Club at 362 Oxford Road has been closed since the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 and never reopened. It had been a private members club and hireable venue with two bars, a dance floor and accommodation.
The building was put on the market for £695,000 in December 2020. After that, City Wide Serviced Apartments applied to demolish the club and build a six‑storey block containing 17 two‑bed and 13 one‑bed flats, with a flexible ground‑floor unit.
The scheme was discussed at a Reading Borough Council planning committee in December 2023. Councillor Karen Rowland (Labour, Abbey) praised the design by local architect Chris Keen, saying: "It’s well designed by a very local person who really is passionate about the area, I think it shows. It is a large development, it will be noticeable, it will be a formidable building, but I do think by the choice of materials that we’ve got a really good proposal here."
Councillor Wendy Griffith (Labour, Battle) suggested the ground floor could have been used for a community group. The outline plans were approved at that stage, subject to a section 106 legal agreement between the developer and the council (these agreements set how much a developer must pay for council services).
An advert by Savills for an auction of the Curzon Club in September 2024 referred to the outline permission, but the auction listing was later withdrawn.
More than a year on the council has refused the outline permission because City Wide Serviced Apartments — or any other company — did not complete the required s106 agreement. The council’s refusal letter states: "In the absence of a completed s106 legal agreement to secure an acceptable amount of affordable housing, the proposal fails to contribute adequately to the housing needs of Reading Borough and the need to provide sustainable, mixed and balanced communities." The refusal notice was issued on 15 October.
The council said the refusal could be overcome if a satisfactory s106 legal agreement or a unilateral undertaking is completed.
Company filings show City Wide Serviced Apartments has submitted five documents to Companies House since 2024, the latest in August 2025. Filings also mention compulsory strike‑off actions in 2020 and 2022 that were averted.
You can view the application on Reading Borough Council’s planning portal using reference PL/22/1345.
James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter
