Two applications for Thackeray Estates schemes in Reading town centre have been approved with positive comments from councillors.
Reading Borough Council’s planning applications committee voted at its December 7 meeting to approve both the developer’s QVS1 scheme of a courtyard, apart hotel and retail at the corner of Queen Victoria Street and Friar Street and its QVS2 scheme of a 163-bed Jury’s Inn hotel next to it which incorporates the vacant Bugle public house.
Thackeray Estates drew praise from councillors Mickey Leng (who chaired the meeting), Tony Page, Karen Rowlands, Andrew Hornsby-Smith and James Moore at the meeting.
Speaking about QVS1, Cllr Hornsby-Smith said: “What this application is doing is bringing together a number of under used spaces and developing them in a sympathetic way by reusing those spaces.”
On QVS2, Thackery’s inclusion of The Bugle was popular. It was locally listed by the council in July.
Cllr Leng said: “It’s very important we protect working class heritage. The developer took that on board and they’ve now made The Bugle, from ground up to eaves, look very very pretty; it will be the centrepoint of the hotel and I truly thank them for that.”
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