Mobile company Three’s offices by the River Thames will be converted into more than 100 flats after the council approved the plans this week.
Plans were submitted to Reading Borough Council (RBC) by McKay Securities to turn the three-storey Great Brighams Mead offices into 110 flats.
The 84,000sq ft building faces the Caversham Road – Vastern Road roundabout, with the River Thames behind the site and Reading Station nearby.
It has been occupied by Three for the past 20 years, with the telecommunications company moving its offices to a new 117,000sq ft building in Green Park.
RBC officers agreed that the plans meet permitted development rights (PDR) criteria and approved them on Tuesday, June 1.
PDR allows office-to-flats conversions if they meet certain criteria, such as:
- The site must not be a listed building, safety hazard zone, military explosives storage area, or an ancient monument.
- The developer must also show the plan meets criteria around flood risk, noise, contamination, highways, and natural light.
The flats will have 158 car parking spaces and 88 cycle parking spaces, while the number of bedrooms in each apartment has not been specified.
The development must be completed within three years and a contamination survey and assessment must be submitted and approved by the council before work can begin.
An application for planning permission for 209 homes at the nearby former SSE site was recently rejected by the council.
The 209 home Vastern Road plan nearby that was rejected
READ MORE: Plans for 209 riverside homes in Reading are rejected
Other nearby plans include around 600 homes and a hotel at Reading Station Shopping Park and 650 homes at the former Royal Mail depot.
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