A shopping park in south Reading could get a new drive-through café, if plans are approved by the council.
The café is planned at Reading Link Retail Park, on Rose Kiln Lane, if the developer can overcome concerns about cars colliding and the lack of a clear crossing for pedestrians.
Similar plans were recently rejected by Reading Borough Council (RBC) in 2019 and a planning inspectorate on appeal this year due to the safety concerns.
Government planning inspector Jenni Ball said vehicles would be required to make potentially dangerous manoeuvres to prevent the risk of collisions between vehicles entering and exiting the site.
And the inspector added: “It is unclear how pedestrians in particular would gain access to the proposed drive-thru.”
Developer Sorbon Estates says the new application addresses these concerns, with the following changes:
- Making the Rose Kiln Lane access point entry-only
- Reducing the width of the new access point from Rose Kiln Lane and installing a height barrier to restrict which vehicles can use this access
- Introducing pedestrian crossing points
The developer is seeking approval for the site location and access to the drive-through only, with design plans to follow later.
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Reading Link Retail Park is a shopping hub with one large building, which is home to Matalan, Home Bargains, Iceland, Magnet and Benson for Beds.
There is one vacant unit that was previously Pound World.
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