New concept proposals have emerged for a regeneration of Sapphire Plaza and Royal Court to the east of Reading town centre. The details were revealed in submissions to the local planning process by the developer’s agent. This is the same consultation process that revealed the Gladman housing project to extend Caversham that I covered the other day. A quick look at the plans:
The former tax office has been vacant for some time, but is a distinctive building with its blue glazing. Royal Court is a 40 year-old block of flats next to it that the developer (Mapledurham Properties) argues is difficult to upgrade to modern energy efficiency standards and requires a prohibitive outlay to bring up to date. Strangely, though, Rightmove is still showing a flat for sale in the building.
The developer is pushing the council for a high density project across the whole dual site to be included within the local plan. They argue, “a distinctive and exceptional design is being pursued in a location that has the space around it to accommodate such a structure. The proposals recognise a distinct top, middle and bottom order alongside design intricacy at various points to bring forward high levels of façade quality, interest and contrast and with it a building that will stand out in a positive and beneficial manner.”
“…the application site has the potential to deliver a highly successful and sustainable residential-led development of between 320 and 450 dwellings, with potential for net zero carbon operational performance. One that is capable of meeting local authority and national planning policy, and therefore suitable for allocation by Reading Borough Council. A mix of BTR and Co-living accommodation is outlined… Ancillary accommodation is integrated, including a mixed use ground floor with potential for community and healthcare uses, providing social benefits and active canal usage. The proposals celebrate its unique position, including adjacency to the River Kennet, is sympathetic to its heritage context, whilst having been developed from a townscape-led approach, taking cues from contextual massing and form. Conceived around opportunities for various amenity spaces including high quality courtyard spaces, the articulation of form and massing offers the potential for biodiversity enhancement and renewables provision. The aspirations of these illustrative proposals are supported by compelling precedents, and key parameter considerations for the site, that help to convey the fantastic opportunity for an exemplar development.”
Having just covered the proposals for two-storey suburbia extensions to Emmer Green and Caversham Park Village, this kind of town centre project offers a very different approach to deliver significant numbers of homes. Whether the council sees fit to update the local plan or not, I would expect this scheme or similar to have a good chance of being allowed, given the pressure to deliver new accommodation. However, the property industry does need to find a way to make a block of flats last for more than 40 years if the claims of sustainability are to hold any water.
Two new apartment buildings are indicated. A more slender 19 storey tower pays homage to the Sapphire blue of its predecessor, whilst the rest of the site would include a perimeter block of varying stepped heights. Renewal of the Kennetside is proposed, with precise details still pending. A previous canal-side restaurant within the old Royal Court building didn’t last long, and the retail unit within Kings Point/Verto is still vacant, so it’s likely activation of the riverside stretch would be provided by resident facilities for the development itself.
No planning application has yet been submitted, but clearly a fairly extensive pre-application is underway. Look out for upcoming formal public consultations if you want to have your say. In the meantime, do share your thoughts below. Does the new Sapphire Plaza sparkle for you, or too much bling for the Ding? Comments always welcome, no registration required…
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Reading-on-Thames 
how many flats !
good lord !
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It’s a horrible traffic sink of an area for people to live in but it’s a short walking distance to most town centre amenities. As you say, it’s shocking that a 40 year old building is considered nonviable. At least there’s more than zero effort going into its appearances, it looks ok on the renders, it’s not completely a monolithic block.
It’ll bolster the case down the line for removing lanes from the frankly horrible Watlington St and Kings Road, more people living there, the more people will benefit from not living within a giant 4 lane roundabout.
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That developer waffle is straight out of AI isn’t it. The only people you are likely to impress with that codswallop are the mid-witted who think long and unusual words from the English lexicon melded into dense sentences are somehow of enormous consequence. So I suspect it’ll work.
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Whats it going to do with the Kings Road Garden space across the river? A nice footpath and a general upgrade of it with barriers to the roundabout and riverside integration would surely make the current shrub land more appealing and link the pedestrianised town centre with Kennet Side walk far more pleasantly than the current cobble + graffiti bridges that currently exist.
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Looks awesome. Definitely an area that can be improved with a statement development like this. Right by the river as well so very desirable.
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Regardless of the merit or otherwise of such a redevelopment, this and all like it should be rejected until the developer takes up UK tax-residency and the beneficial owners are made public. Until then I’ll assume they’re a Chinese company contracted by the CCP to export their nation’s property investment fetish to our shores, like our market isn’t inflated enough.
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Bruh! Reading is slowly becoming Britain’s New York City
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