The former car park for the old Central Pool is set to temporarily become a pay and display car park ahead of plans to transform the site into a housing and adult social care hub.
The 80-space car park on Battle Street will ‘significantly reduce the demand for long-term on-street parking’, according to council officers.
The car park boundaries are marked to the east by fixed boarding and to the west by adjacent property walls and metal barriers, which will separate and secure the car park from the old Central Pool development site and the neighbouring properties.
READ MORE: More than 80 per cent of residents back 20mph zone in west Reading
Battle Street Car Park will go live May 1, 2021, if there are no objections to the plans.
It will cost:
- Up to 1 hour: £1.50
- Up to 2 hours: £2
- Up to 24 hours: £4
- Five-day week: £19
- Seven-day week £25
Councillor Tony Page, lead member for Transport at Reading Borough Council (RBC), said: “It will be safely secured. The tariff will be intended to benefit shoppers rather than long-stay commuters and will contribute to the council’s stretched resources for that period.”
Simon Beasley, network and parking manager at RBC, added: “This car park was offered to use a long, long time ago but has never been accessible because of the demolition and then Covid came along and it didn’t seem relevant at the time.
“What has prompted this coming forward now is that we have a roadmap for out of Covid so there is some relevance to opening up some car parking here.
“It is only temporary, but it is just to make use of that piece of land and bring in a bit of additional income to the council.”
What will happen to the Central Pool site long-term?
PICTURED: Reading Central Swimming Pool demolition - Pictures: Mike Swift.
The former swimming pool will be replaced with dozens of homes and a service for older people, while a former care home will be replaced with flats and services for those with learning disabilities, under plans from the council.
Cllr Page said: “This will be a temporary car park, pending works starting on delivering on one of Reading’s most exciting and innovative council housing developments of a mixed use that Policy committee recently approved.
“It will benefit elderly people and also those people on the council housing waiting list.
“Further design work and planning permission is still to be secured on that site and so, in the meantime, it makes good sense to use the old car park for what as the Central Swimming Pool as a temporary car park.”
RBC's Policy committee approved proposals to build 74 flats at the former Central Pool on Battle Street, split between sheltered housing and general needs, as well as a 35-place older person day service, in January 2021.
READ MORE: Central Pool and care home site will become 100+ homes and more
Before the development can go ahead, the council will need to get planning permission.
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