Reading Court Modernisation and Business Transformations Ahead

Reading's main court is set for a refresh as the Ministry of Justice upgrades Reading Crown Court to improve capacity, layout and ventilation (PL/26/0397). Adjustments to the entrance and new metal louvres have been approved by Reading Borough Council.

Notably, the court crest will be replaced. "The existing crest is in poor condition due to rusting of the back panel, and it is proposed to be replaced with a contour-shaped stainless steel panel with applied vinyl in black, utilising the existing support frame."

In town-centre moves, the former Oxfam bookshop by Market Place, closed since 2022, is set to become a takeaway restaurant (PL/25/1589). The 1904 building will get a new shopfront and extraction equipment; proposed weekend hours were reduced from 3am to 1am after negotiations, with 11pm closing on other nights.

A vacant women's fashion shop on Whitley Street will become the Union Cafe House in Katesgrove (PL/26/0045). The New Fashion unit has been empty since 2020 and the plan includes an awning that extends the building when open.

Meanwhile, a large sign advertising new homes at Reading Link Retail Park was refused (PL/26/0682). The advert for the De Haviland Place development by Shanly Homes was rejected because planners said it would add visual clutter: "The proposed sign, due to its excessive scale and prominent siting, would appear as an unattractive and obtrusive feature in the street scene and would contribute to an undesirable proliferation of signage and visual clutter at this location."

To see each decision, type the reference above into the council planning portal.

James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter