Reading Borough Council is set to hand over land to enable the Minster Quarter town-centre regeneration, which will deliver around 600 homes.
The scheme will transform the area behind Broad Street Mall - the former site of the 15-storey 1970s Civic Centre demolished in 2015-16. Since then the site has largely been a walkway to Reading Magistrates' Court.
McLaren Living (through McLaren (Minster Quarter) Ltd) is the council's development partner. Plans include around 40,000 sq ft of commercial space, a 102-bed hotel and an enhanced public square for The Hexagon Theatre.
A report by Charan Dhillon, the council's director of property and asset management, recommends leasing the land to McLaren. Councillors can approve the disposal to clear the way for development or choose not to proceed, which would stall the project.
The public report makes no mention of a sale or cash amounts; a separate confidential report contains sensitive information. A decision is due at the policy committee on Monday 13 April and is likely to be taken in private.
The committee agreed the strategy for Minster Quarter in January 2024. Councillor Karen Rowland said the project would 'knit back the civic heart of Reading'.
Councillors have clashed over future living conditions - cllr Dave McElroy warned future residents of the 600 flats would have their "eyeballs and lungs destroyed" by the Inner Distributor Road (IDR).
McLaren was named as the council's development partner in February 2024 and is also the residential provider for the Broad Street Mall towers project, which will add 643 flats.
The council moved to its current Bridge Street offices in 2014. The old Civic Centre footprint was home to Lavender Place Community Gardens from 2018 to 2023.
James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter
