Green light for 17-storey tower in Reading

The development contributes to Reading’s Tall Building Strategy, which forms part of the Central Area Action Plan and aims to guide the future development of the town centre. Tall buildings play a key role in the development of this vision, and are therefore required to make a positive contribution by employing high-quality design and construction methods that reference their cultural and historic setting, enhance Reading’s skyline, avoid any negative impacts on existing residential properties, and create safe, comfortable and attractive environments for the local community. Officer’s report to Committee stated: “The proposal at 17 storeys would generally present a positive contribution to views at all distances.”

The new King’s Point has been designed in line with these guidelines to deliver commercial space at ground level, basement parking, and residential accommodation comprising 41 one bedroom apartments, 51 two bedroom apartments, and 11 three bedroom apartments – 103 new homes across 17-storeys. The theme of connectivity is prevalent throughout the design to create an outward facing development that responds and connects with the surrounding parks, waterways and amenity space around King’s Road.

Director and Co-founder, Russell Pedley of Assael Architecture, said:

“We have carefully and methodically evolved this design to bring an underused, vacant site back into use with an appropriate tall building form, which despite its small and challenging plot size, resolves the conflicting constraints and delivers much-needed new homes to this waterside location.”

Work is set to start on site later this year with completion expected in early 2017.