Reading Prison bid approved by council
Now it'll be submitted to the Ministry of Justice in time for their deadline on Monday
Last updated 9th Mar 2021
A new community bid to buy the former Reading Prison site has been officially approved.
Last night Reading borough councillors discussed the details in a closed session - and it'll now be put to the Ministry of Justice to meet their deadline of March the 15th.
The council wants to turn the place where Oscar Wilde was once an inmate into a local arts and heritage hub.
The MoJ’s process for the sale of the historic gaol remains a competitive process. That means the value of the Council’s bid and the conditions of the bid remain commercially confidential at this time.
Last night’s Policy Committee report highlighted both the unique opportunity afforded to the Council to secure the site for the Reading community, in terms of cultural offer and the local economy, and the risks and uncertainties associated with a formal Council bid.
After consideration, Councillors agreed to submit a formal conditional bid to the MoJ to purchase the prison site. If successful in its bid, the Council would seek a private sector partner to undertake the comprehensive regeneration.
The final value of the Council’s bid - which will be funded through capacity available in its capital programme - will be informed by the completion of a detailed development appraisal.
Councillors agreed that should the conditional bid be accepted by the MoJ, the final terms and financial implications would be presented to a future meeting of Policy Committee, once all due diligence processes had been completed. They also agreed that should the bid be successful, a cross party Reading Goal board would be set up to make recommendations on any decisions required.
Reading Borough Council Leader Jason Brock said:
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to deliver a unique culture and heritage hub for Reading. We firmly believe a successful bid by the Council would be a game changer. A catalyst for further investment in Reading, a key driver in our recovery from Covid and the creation of a site of local, regional and national significance in the heart of our town and in our historic Abbey Quarter.
“It is important to note this remains a conditional bid at this time and that this is just the start of a negotiation with the MoJ. The decision to press ahead with a formal bid is nevertheless a major milestone. We will submit the community’s bid to the MoJ on March 15th, whilst again thanking the MoJ for the period of exclusivity grated to the Council.”
Reading Gaol has been empty and unused since December 2013 when it was shut by the MoJ.
The prison has already made its name on the arts and heritage scene after urban artist Banksy unveiled a piece on the east facing wall of the prison. Since then hundreds of people have visited the site to take pictures of a convict (presumably Oscar Wilde) escaping down the side of the wall complete with typewriter.