Plans for a modern three-storey health centre which would see a church and two houses in Whitley flattened have been unveiled.

The proposal seeks planning permission to demolish St. Paul’s Church and two neighbouring houses on Whitley Wood Lane, replacing them with a new church centre, community space, café, two flats and a GP surgery.

Reading Borough Council's (RBC) Planning Applications committee will vote on the plans later this year.

The committee is meeting next week to decide on a 5G mast and three other plans, including a controversial extension proposal.

The Parish Council of St Paul’s Church, which wants to develop on the site, says it will help to cope with the thousands of new patients expected from developments in the catchment area and breathe new life into the community.

The current site includes two houses, one of which has been “for a significant period as it is uninhabitable”, according to the church, as well as a single-storey church and a church hall.

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As well as demolishing the two existing houses, the single-storey church and church hall, St Paul’s Church will need to remove an ash tree which has a tree preservation order (TPO) as part of the works.

The GP health centre would be located behind the proposed new church centre and will replace South Reading surgery on Whitley Wood Road and the closed Whitley Wood Lane surgery.

The current practice has 7,500 patients, which the church says is set to increase by around 5,000 patients over the next 6-12 months as residential developments within the catchment area are completed.

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The catchment area extends from southern suburbs of Reading south to Swallowfield to the west beyond Grazeley Green to the east beyond Sonning and up to the outskirts of Winnersh and Wokingham.

Local people can now view and comment on the plans on RBC’s planning portal, by searching for application number 191265.