Consultation Launched on Two Key Planning Strategies

RESIDENTS, businesses and organisations are being invited to feedback on two key planning policy documents which will help shape what Reading Town Centre will look like in the future, and how the Council will engage with the local community on planning matters.

Reading town centre continues to grow and transition as retail continues to adapt and change. The Council’s Draft Reading Town Centre Public Realm Strategy sets out a comprehensive vision aimed at longer-term improvements to public spaces in the centre.

The overall aim of the policy is to help create pleasant, accessible and sustainable environments which support the town's growing population and economic development.

The document supplements the Council’s overarching Local Plan and will help to inform decisions on planning applications and investment decisions in future years.

The Draft Reading Town Centre Public Realm Strategy contains a design manual which is intended to inform choices on different elements of the public realm. It also shows how this manual could be applied to different spaces in the town centre, although these diagrams are intended to be illustrative of the principles rather than a prescriptive design.

Separately, Reading Council is today also launching a public consultation on a refreshed Statement of Community Involvement (CSI). The draft SCI sets out how the local planning authority will involve the community in producing planning documents, as well as on planning applications and pre-application enquiries.

A review of the Council’s existing SCI was carried out in October 2024 and found it was up-to-date, other than elements related to neighbourhood planning. The Council is therefore proposing updates to address this, alongside some other minor updates.

Members of the public can access the Draft Reading Town Centre Public Realm Strategy consultation at www.reading.gov.uk/tcprs and the Statement of Community Involvement (CSI) consultation at www.reading.gov.uk/sci

Physical copies of each draft can be viewed at the Civic Offices on Bridge Street between 9am and 5pm on weekdays, and in all Council libraries. The deadline for comments on both documents is Wednesday 26 February at 5 pm.

Councillor Micky Leng, the Council’s Lead for Planning, said:

“Our town centre in Reading continues to grow and transition. It is therefore important we have a comprehensive overarching strategy in place which makes the very best of the space which exists in order to help create an even more pleasant environment for residents and visitors alike.

“At the same time, we are consulting on a refreshed Statement of Community involvement, which will guide how the Council will involve the public on planning matters, giving them a direct say in how their local community develops.

“I’d urge as many residents, businesses and organisations as possible to take some time to feedback online.”

Following the public consultation, officers will take some time to consider public feedback before final drafts are proposed for adoption.