Two buildings used as offices in Reading are set to be demolished and replaced with a shiny new industrial unit on a site that was once earmarked for new flats.
Bennet Court in Bennet Road, Whitley is an office complex made up of two buildings that are occupied by four companies and organisations.
Back in 2021, developers won approval to convert the offices into a total of 49 flats, with 27 apartments being in one building and 22 being in the other.
However, Bennet Court changed hands since then, with new developers DV5 Coltham Investments seeking to replace both of the offices with a new industrial building.
The project can now go after approval for the project was granted by Reading Borough Council’s planning applications committee.
Micky Leng (Labour, Whitley), lead councillor for planning and assets said: “Here we’ve got a core employment light industrial area of high employment with lots of locals working down there.
“We’ve got a fantastic new facility going up there, and of course, it’s now not going to be residential, which is a bonus for me.”
You can view the approved application by typing reference 221936 into the council’s planning portal.
The decision was made at the planning meeting on Wednesday, September 6.
Bennet Court is currently occupied by The Cowshed charity, Press to Print Reading, computer consultants Black Box, and workspace designers Aura.
It is unclear whether these businesses and organisations have been given the notice to vacate the offices yet.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here