The development of Green Park Station could reach a new milestone, with plans for the station hall expected to be approved this week.

Reading Borough Council’s (RBC) Planning Applications committee will decide on Wednesday (September 2) whether to approve the plans at the new station, which is due to be complete in summer 2020.

The Green Park Station scheme was granted approval by the Berkshire Local Transport body in November 2014, with £9.15m funded through Thames Valley Berkshire LEP’s Local Growth Fund.

The station building will include a ticket and enquiry desk, ticket office, staff rest and toilet facilities, male and female toilets, one accessible outside toilet, a baby change facility, self-service ticket machines and shops.

A public consultation on the plans received two responses, with one resident calling for a rain cover for the bike stands and another asking for parking at the west side of the station.

The council’s Access and Disability Working Group (ADWG) have previously raised concern over the development as well as putting forward suggestions for how the station can be as accessible as possible.

Members of ADWG said the disabled toilet is too small and outside toilets are prone to vandalism.

The RBC transport team said GWR had requested for the toilet to have access from the outside  rather than inside.

The working group also asked if ticket machines could be designed to be more accessible.

GWR’s deputy mobility and inclusion manager said: “We do not have such a facility at any of our stations and not aware of one on the UK network.

“The main issue with this, is to make a ticket machine accessible for one person, it can often be to the detriment to another person.

“For example, changing the colour contrast may help one customer, but result in another not being able to use the machine.

“The ticket machines currently provided have to comply with the Government’s design standards.

“These are industry standards and are designed to help make the machines as accessible as possible to the majority.”

Members also called for a Changing Places toilet but the council’s transport department said this would require a much larger amount of space and that “it is not currently a mandatory requirement for stations of this size or category”.

Case officer Alison Amoah said the proposed station building “forms part of the wider Green Park Station interchange and is considered to be of an appropriate scale and design to serve the new station and Green Park Village”.