What retail park in Reading would look like if redeveloped

Reading Link Retail Park is currently home to Matalan, Home Bargains, The Food Warehouse and other big box stores.  

A Starbucks drive-thru was opened there in May 2023, and a JD Gym is due to open later this year as well.

However, the whole could be transformed into a place for 150-220 homes, as the site has been suggested for development in Reading Borough Council's Local Plan Partial-Update. 

READ MORE: Reading Chronicle readers can enjoy subscription benefits for £2

The council issued a call for sites in 2023 for places where new homes could be established, with the retail park being put forward by its owner Sorbon Estates.

The partial update of the Local Plan is being devised as the Labour government is increasing local authority housing delivery targets.

Under the current method, 878 new homes should be built in Reading Borough per year, with a new method increasing that to 1,023 homes per year, a 17 per cent uplift. 

The proposed redevelopment of the retail park has been identified as a project that could be delivered in the medium term from 2028-33, according to the pre-submission partial update document.

The AI imaging tool Pixlr has been used from a prompt written by the Local Democracy Reporting Service to give an impression of what the site could look like in 2028-33.

READ MORE: What Reading will look like in 2034 as 6,000 flats are on the way

Pixlr has created images of a mixed-use development with lots of people at street level, demonstrating the potential for the ground floors of the new buildings to be taken up by retail space.

What the 150-220 new homes that would replace Reading Link Retail Park could look like, showing a bustling area with lots of people. (Image: Pixlr.com AI - original image James Aldridge, LDRS)

New apartments created would be low rise, ranging from between five to three storeys tall. 

The council has stressed that any development on the site should contribute towards an improved Sunday bus service to and from the town centre.

This desire has been reflected in the AI images, showing buses waiting to pick up passengers.

Buses ready to take future occupants into town. An AI image of the 150-220 new homes that could replace Reading Link Retail Park. (Image: Pixlr.com AI - original image James Aldridge, LDRS)

It currently takes approximately 15 minutes to get between the retail park and St Marys Butts by bus. 

It is also possible that landscaping improvements would be made to the site, with the council stating that the development must avoid adverse impacts on trees, particularly those with tree preservation orders (TPOs). 

Trees and landscaping enhancements feature in four of the concept images generated. 

What the 150-220 new homes that would replace Reading Link Retail Park could look like, with landscaping improvements and the road being retained. (Image: Pixlr.com AI - original image James Aldridge, LDRS)

Any new apartment buildings created could come with green roofs to provide biodiversity improvements on the site as well. 

Council planning officers are currently considering changes to the Local Plan ahead of its submission for approval by the government.

READ MORE: Neighbours react to proposal for around 200 homes to replace retail park

It is unclear whether the Starbucks drive-thru and the upcoming JD Gym will need to be demolished to make way for redevelopment. 

The site identified stretches across 2.12 hectares.