Reading West Station revamp
New plans for a £3.1 million upgrade of the station in Oxford Road have been submitted.
If approved, new ticket gates will be installed, meaning that passengers will only be allowed to board a train if they have already bought a ticket.
There are also plans for a new shop, toilets, CCTV and lighting, as well as a bus interchange and storage facility for bicycles.
The original plans were lambasted, with one objector comparing the new station to a shipping container, so architects returned to the drawing board and came up with designs for a modern glass and brick station.
Reading Borough Council says construction could begin as early as March 2021 if the plans are approved, and the project will take around one year to complete.
Two new swimming pools for Reading
Plans to build two swimming pools in Reading – that will both be run by Greenwich Leisure Ltd – are expected to get the green light in March 2021.
As part of a £40 million investment, Reading Borough Council is looking to build a 25-metre competition swimming pool with eight lanes and 300 spectator seats at Rivermead.
It will have a combined teaching and diving pool, a six-court sports hall with 250 spectator seats, a gym and a soft play area.
The council also wants to build a 25-metre community pool with six lanes, as part of a refurbishment of Palmer Park.
A new special needs school
A planning application for a special needs school on land at Winnersh Farm for 150 children is due to be submitted in January.
Wokingham Borough Council and Reading Borough Council have drawn up the plans, because of a long-standing shortage of special needs school places in the area.
They hope the plans will be approved within months, so the new school can open in September 2022.
According to the councils, the school will be built and funded by the Department for Education and run by the The Maiden Erlegh Trust.
400 homes in Bracknell town centre
Bracknell Forest Council had earmarked three sites for 700 flats, as part of the regeneration of the town centre.
But after teaming up with developer Countryside Properties, the plans have been scaled back.
They are now looking to build 400 family homes and flats on Coopers Hill, Jubilee Gardens and Market Street – and make 140 of them affordable.
A planning application is likely to be submitted in early 2021.
Four-star hotel in Reading town centre
Plans to build a four-star hotel at the derelict former Bristol & West Arcade in Friar Street have been revealed.
Developer Sonic Star Properties will submit plans for the site in January and they are hoping to get the green light within months.
They have held discussions with companies interested in operating the four-star hotel and say it would create around 60 new jobs and “bring a substantial income for Reading”.
Plans to build flats, offices and shops inside the building were approved by Reading Borough Council in 2018, but they have been shelved.
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