Reading Council Plans Over 360 New Homes!

Progress is being made on an initiative to build more than 360 new affordable council homes in Reading (362 could be completed in three years' time).

Reading Borough Council is one of the town's biggest landlords, owning nearly 7,000 properties - about 10.3% of homes in the borough, despite Right to Buy.

Earlier this year 46 new council homes were completed at Wensley Road in Coley.

The Local Authority Newbuild Programme has 158 homes in development and 204 in feasibility assessment - the biggest is 190 homes at Dee Park in Norcot.

Feasibility is also under way for 14 homes at the former Southcote Library, which closed in 2018.

Other projects include 42 flats at Hexham Road due for completion this August and 62 flats in Battle Street on the Reading Central Pool site.

An update on the LANB will go to the council's policy committee on Monday, June 15.

The figures are in a report by Victoria Higgins, who explains the council is also acquiring affordable housing from developers. The report states: "In addition to building new homes, we have maintained a programme of property acquisitions as part of the LANB programme.

"Our biggest acquisition scheme to date has been at Watchman's Place, which completed in August 2025 and provides 16 new council-owned homes at the former Dee Road fire station site.

"The council has an active acquisitions programme which is expected to
deliver at least another 37 units over the next four years."

Past acquisitions used Local Authority Housing Fund rounds from government to buy 15 homes as move-on accommodation for Afghan and Ukrainian families, and six homes for Afghan resettlement and easing homelessness pressures.

Councillors will be asked to approve spending to allow the projects to go ahead. A figure mentioned in the programme is £29.6 million for the creation of up to 87 new homes, approved in November 2022.

James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter