Fence finally goes up to thwart fly-tipping at Woodley Arms

Reading councillors are now calling on the developer to manage the Woodley Arms site properly, clear the rubbish and aide the council in seeking enforcement against offenders.

A petition has been set up by Katesgrove councillors to encourage the developers to do more to sort out the site, on Waldeck Street, which you can view here.

Councillor Liam Challenger said the pub, which closed in 2012, has become “a haven for fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour”.

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He said: “The site has been an eyesore in the area for a long time now.

“It is incredibly frustrating to see private land go to rot. As a council our hands are tied with taking action against people who do this.

“It is good to see positive action in securing it but this should have been done years ago.

“We have been working tirelessly with residents to keep the pressure upon the developer. The next step is to ensure the site is cleaned and work begins promptly.”

Reading Borough Council (RBC) issued an enforcement notice in March to get the mess cleared up as soon as possible.

The site’s history

There have been five applications at the disused pub, with planning permission first given in 2013 to convert the building into four flats.

Two applications to demolish the pub and redevelop the site as student flats were rejected by the council and a planning inspector.

A third application – also rejected by RBC – was backed on appeal by a government planning inspector last year.

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Lainston Woodley Arms LLP then looked into a plan for co-living flats but has since backtracked, going back to its student studio flats proposal.

The pub remains intact for now, with the developer having not yet committed to a single plan and the back yard full of rubbish.

A fence finally went up this week.