Planning in Reading

Reading is generally regarded as the capital of the the Thames Valley.   It has witnessed great  economic pressures over the last 20 years to expand; to change from a market town to a vibrant city.  Studies show that the development pressures will remain and probably increase in the future.

Reading is also an historic place with a great heritage of buildings, spaces and waterways.  The pressures for expansion, a wider mix of uses and activities, and improving the environmental quality of the centre have lead the Council over recent years to initiate a series of major changes and improvements, such as The Oracle Shopping and Leisure Complex beside the Kennet and Avon Canal.

Reading Borough covers 40,000 hectares and has a population of 143,200 (Census, April 2001).  The area is mainly urban in character, but the River Thames and River Kennet, flow through the borough.  Most of the areas has been developed in some way, with the remaining area consisting of floodplains and open spaces.

The character of the built environment is varied and complex, ranging from an historic centre, based around 13th Century Abbey and the Victorian Town Hall, through the post-war expansion of residential areas and industrial estates, to a modern business location, typified by the high-quality office buildings in the city centre and business parks in the south west.  Reading has over 880 listed properties, 13 Conservation Areas, 2 Local Nature Reserves and 45 Wildlife Heritage Sites.

The Borough hosts the European headquarters of many international IT companies, due in part to its excellent public transport links to London and its airports.   With the opening of The Oracle, Reading has emerged as a major regional shopping centre, and ranks 8th nationally.  The Council was awarded Beacon Status for its town centre regeneration in 2001.  However, despite its prosperity Reading contains some of the most deprived wards in the country and the Council has been addressing the problems and causes in the areas through its regeneration initiatives.

Reading has seen major change in terms of both the rate and scale of development over the past 15 years.  This has lead to the transformation of the centre and the South-West area.  The planning service has been pivotal in this process and has evolved into a dynamic and flexible corporate resource that reacts positively and innovatively to development pressure, while pursuing the principle of sustainable development.

Planning Service Improvement Plan - In addition to dealing with a very wide range of planning applications, appeals and enforcement cases, our staff are currently involved in:

• the preparation and progressing of the Berkshire Structure Plan 2001-2016
• the review and roll forward of the Reading Borough Local Plan to realise a vision for sustainable city living in 2020
• the evolution of the Council's Community Strategy and Local Strategic Partnership
• Local transport plan initiatives
• the preparation of development briefs and development and urban design  frameworks for key sites in the town centre and elsewhere in the Borough
• urban regeneration proposals
• various studies including a retail study open space audit and urban capacity study
• setting up and developing various monitoring systems using ITC systems

Best Value

As a result of a recent Best Value Review, the council is committed to improving its planning service  through action under 5 key themes:

• Valuing our staff
• Efficient Development Control
• Effective Planning Enforcement
• Accessible and responsive Planning Service
• Quality Planning Policy and Development Outcomes