Former Southcote Library Set to be Converted into More Affordable Homes

THE former Southcote Library is set to be redeveloped for affordable housing, as part of the Council’s on-going drive to create hundreds of new affordable homes for people in Reading over the coming years.

The building, on the corner of Coronation Square, has been vacant since 2018 when the local library service was moved into the nearby Southcote Community Hub, which was extended as part of a £550,000 Council project to provide a modern library, children’s centre, play area and upgraded community facilities all on one site.

The Council is now proposing to transfer the former library building across to its Housing Revenue Account (HRA), as part of a £3.8 million scheme which could deliver up to 15 two-bedroom flats on the site.

Reading Borough Council has already committed to providing 400 affordable new homes in Reading between 2021 and 2026 - an investment in excess of £110m. The strategy will not only reduce the waiting list, but also provides accommodation for key workers and the flexibility for current tenants to move to bigger homes as their families grow. Over 100 of these new affordable homes will see residents move in this year.

The transfer of the Southcote site to the HRA is a new proposal after a previous plan to sell the plot to a housing association did not materialise. While a great deal of work had gone into this plan, the association recently informed the Council it was withdrawing from the purchase.

Rather than re-marketing the site, Reading Council’s HRA is now proposing to progress with its own affordable housing development. The proposed scheme has been modelled within the latest 30 Year HRA business plan and remains financially viable.

If approved, the transfer to the HRA would happen later this financial year, with demolition of the building proceeding ahead of the planning application process.  

Councillors will consider the proposal at a meeting of the Council’s Policy Committee on Monday April 3. The Policy report can be found at https://democracy.reading.gov.uk/documents/s26938/Southcote%20Library%20Disposal.pdf

Micky Leng, Reading Borough Council’s Lead Councillor for Planning and Assets, said:

“I’m certain the local community will be pleased to see this vacant building put to good use in the form of creating desperately needed affordable homes for people in Reading.

“Through no fault of our own, the site has been vacant since 2018 as the Council looked to progress with a housing association partner, who frustratingly only very recently informed the Council that it proposed to withdraw at the last minute, with both parties having spent time and resources to reach contract agreement. We are undeterred however and now plan to push ahead with the Council’s own affordable housing project on this important site.”

Ellie Emberson, Lead Councillor for Housing, added:

“If the transfer is approved next month, it will be fantastic news for the Council’s ever-growing portfolio of affordable homes which we are building in Reading. Our commitment already amounts to 400 new affordable homes – an investment of £110 million – up to 2026. This includes those delivered and in the pipeline. I’m delighted that those totals will now increase with this new scheme in the heart of the local Southcote community in Coronation Square.”

Earlier this month the Council approved plans to create a further 62 new homes on the former Central Pool site in Battle Street, which will cater for those on the housing register, as well as sheltered housing and homes for vulnerable adults.

Responding to Reading’s climate emergency, all new homes are also being built to passivhaus principles to reduce carbon footprint. Triple glazing, air source heat pumps and solar panels are some of the techniques being used to be more sustainable, and just one of the reasons Reading Borough Council was crowned Homebuilder of the Year at the 2021 UK Housing Awards. Building energy efficient homes also ensures that bills are kept as low as possible for the residents who live there.