The ongoing saga of Reading’s ‘fine’ Edwardian house is back again, with a new plan submitted to transform the site into flats.

Reading Borough Council (RBC) has twice refused proposals to demolish 39 Brunswick Hill and replace it with flats and is currently considering whether to locally list the building.

The latest plan from applicant Eric Benjamin seeks to convert the Edwardian house, near Reading West Station, into nine flats, with extensions at the front, side and rear.

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Original plans to demolish the building and replace it with 10 apartments were rejected by both Reading Borough Council (RBC) and a planning inspector in 2018.

The second attempt to demolish the building and replace it – this time with nine flats – was refused by the council in September.

At that meeting, several objectors to the plans suggested a reconstruction or conversion might be accepted.

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Evelyn Williams, speaking on behalf of Reading Civic Society and the Conservation Area Advisory Committee, said: “A sympathetic reconstruction would be more appropriate”.

Conservative councillor and Planning committee member Jane Stanford-Beale asked: “Why not convert it?”

What is the reaction to the latest plans?

Neighbour Richard Dadley, who lives at 21 Brunswick Hill, said: “These plans are less worse than the original application to knock down and replace.

“However, we feel that nine is too many and the extension is too large, being out of keeping with the hill and setting.

“We would support an application for a smaller number: say six.”

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Om and Ambika Solanki, who live at 47 Brunswick Hill, said they are opposed to plans at the site again based on the same reasons as their objections to previous applications.

Their objections include:

  • The characterful building will be destroyed and it will make the street look odd
  • There will be more traffic and parking congestion
  • Noise pollution of nine sets of families living in that small space
  • There are already too many flats in Reading

What is local listing?

39 Brunswick Hill was previously rejected as a building worthy of local listing but the council is now reconsidering this decision.

Buildings that are not listed by Historic England can be placed on a local list by the council.

Unlike nationally listed buildings, they do not have statutory protection, but the interest of the building must be considered during the planning process.

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The most recent application at 39 Brunswick Hill was unanimously rejected at the Planning Applications committee in September.

Councillor Tony Page, lead member for Planning, announced at that meeting that the council will reconsider locally listing the site as a heritage asset.