Two new hotels approved for Reading town centre
Both will be in Friar Street
Transformational plans for Reading’s town centre will see two new hotels built.
Landowners Thackeray Estates has won approval for its plans to transform the corner of Friar Street and Queen Victoria Street.
Thackeray Estates’ huge plan for apart-hotel rooms and courtyard destination area, dubbed QVS1+ have been approved as the landowners have entered into a section 106 agreement with the council.
These agreements determine how much a developer will pay the council to invest in vital infrastructure.
The plan involves rennovation and works to create 104 apart-hotel rooms on upper floors, and new shopfronts and a courtyard at ground level.
The project will affect WH Smith, Reading Food & Wine, Timpson, Amy’s Nails and Black Sheep Coffee but the direct impact on these businesses is unclear.
Thackeray Estates’ partners The National Pub Portfolio have won approval for the demolition of buildings on Friar Street and replacing them with a 163-bed hotel.
The hotel building will total seven storeys and incorporate The Bugle pub which will serve as an entry point and character part of the building.
Now the project can go ahead, the building housing Revolución de Cuba and the Eyesite Opticians will be demolished to make way for the hotel.
The project is codenamed QVS2.
Originally, the hotel was set to be branded a Jurys Inn, which has changed its name to Leonardo Hotels.