Mobile phone company wants to covert its Reading office into flats
Three is moving from its base near the stationThree to Green Park
Mobile company Three’s offices by the River Thames near Reading Station could be converted into more than 100 flats, under new plans.
Plans have been 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 planning to move its offices to a new 117,000sq ft building in Green Park.
The developer is seeking approval for the office-to-flats conversion under permitted development rights (PDR), which allow such conversions if they meet certain criteria.
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.
There would be 158 car parking spaces and 88 cycle parking spaces for residents, under the plans, while the number of bedrooms in each apartment has not been specified.
Reading Borough Council (RBC) will simply have to decide if the plans meet the PDR criteria.
An application for planning permission for 209 homes at the nearby former SSE site was recently rejected by the council.
Other nearby plans include around 600 homes and a hotel at Reading Station Shopping Park and 650 homes at the former Royal Mail depot.