Meadway shopping centre redevelopment recommended for approval

Major redevelopment of the Meadway shopping precinct in Tilehurst has been recommended for approval.

Reading Borough Council’s planning applications committee will meet on Wednesday, October 6 to consider outline plans by owner Chillingham to redevelop the centre with new refurbished retail units with flexible uses and 258 flats, 30 per cent of them affordable.

Under the plans, designed by Accord Architecture and planned by ID Planning, all 27 flats currently above shops in the 1967 built centre will be demolished along with some of the retail units, while some ground floor retail will be retained and refurbished.

A breakdown of the work (see graphic below), shows:

Retail at the western end demolished apart from the Boots store
Demolition of the retail and residential blocks on the southern side and north eastern corner, fronting Honey End Lane
Demolition of the upper floors of the northern block and the south east block, fronting Honey End Lane

A new block in the north east corner will replace the 27 homes being demolished while most of the new residential blocks will be built at the western end.

The proposals are a revision of a scheme which was consented in 2017. It does not affect the Asda supermarket to the south of the precinct.