More than 1,000 apartments could be built in Reading in the coming years as a series of huge projects might be decided this year.
More than 1,000 apartments could be built in Reading as a number of big schemes edge towards a decision this year. Altogether there are roughly 1,700 homes in the pipeline across several sites.
Any development needs Reading Borough Council approval, and developers can appeal refusals to the Planning Inspectorate. If you want to look up plans, type the application reference number (in brackets) into the council’s planning portal.
Royal Elm Park (PL/25/0837)
Plans to transform the land around the Reading FC stadium into homes and leisure space have been progressing for years. A 'design code' for the site was approved last year to guide future work. In 2018 outline approval covered 422 apartments, with detailed permission for 196 apartments, a 246‑bed hotel and up to 102 serviced apartments — and the wider Royal Elm Park scheme would see more than 600 apartments alongside an ice rink and a convention centre.
Napier Court — 570 apartments (PL/24/0846 and PL/24/1173)
This project would demolish the three Napier Court offices to make way for residential towers totalling 570 apartments, the tallest reaching 11 storeys. Plans state provision of 33 car parking spaces and six motorbike spaces, with the expectation most future residents will walk or cycle. A design and access statement was submitted last September, and the council approved the demolition of the office buildings in July.
Waterfront Square — 236 apartments (PL/24/0958)
Developers want to replace the Norman Place building (formerly occupied by Covea Insurance) with a multi‑storey block of flats. The proposal was recently reduced from 254 to 236 apartments. The scheme is by Bridges Fund Management and build‑to‑rent provider Packaged Living, which is also involved in a separate 436‑flat plan for The Oracle — a decision on that scheme was delayed after councillors arranged a site visit.
Police HQ replacement — c.260 flats
A proposal to redevelop the former police headquarters in Castle Street emerged in 2023, with S2 Estates showing sketches of one freestanding tower and four interconnected blocks. No formal planning application appears to have been submitted yet. Thames Valley Police have been moving into Atlantic House this year and the Castle Street front desk closed in November. S2 also has schemes elsewhere, including 29 flats on Caversham Road and the 349‑apartment Bracknell Beeches scheme (permission secured in 2022).
One scheme not going ahead
An Abrdn plan to replace Forbury Retail Park (the stores including Furniture Village, HomeSense and Bensons for Beds, plus a KFC drive‑thru) with 12 residential towers totalling 820 apartments was submitted in May 2023 (PL/23/0822) but the application expired through inactivity in November.
James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter
