Offices above bustling town centre café could be converted into short stay flats

The St Mary’s House building is known for having Caffè Nero on the ground floor, which is one of the busiest cafes in the town.

Above ground, the building is made up of offices, currently occupied by the Reed recruitment agency.

Now plans have emerged that would see Reed relocate so the upper floors can be converted to create a total of 37 serviced apartments.

These rooms would be created by converting the existing upper floors into 31 apartments, with an extension creating six more short-stay flats.

The maximum stay will be three months, according to planning agents Woolf Bond.

Justifying the need for short-stay apartments in Reading, the agent wrote: “The provision of additional short-term accommodation through the serviced apartments envisaged supports wider economic potential of the town since it provides high quality units for those individuals whose jobs need them to be located close to Reading, albeit only for a limited period of time.”

Sketches show 29 single-bed and eight double-bed rooms being provided, with shared amenity space and a reception on the first floor.

The first floor plan for the project to convert St Mary's House in St Mary's Butts, Reading in 37 short-stay apartments.The first floor plan for the project to convert St Mary’s House in St Mary’s Butts, Reading in 37 short-stay apartments. (Image: Woolf Bond Planning)

The Caffè Nero will be retained on the ground floor.

Summarising the project, the planning agent wrote: “The proposal will maintain a mix of uses which supports the functioning of the town centre through inclusion of commercial and serviced apartments.

“Such uses are acceptable and appropriate for the town centre, especially as they help support economic activity in the centre.

“The scheme will reinforce the existing feature building at the junction of St Mary’s Butts and Broad Street but without detracting from the maintenance of the important vistas linking Greyfriars and St Giles Churches.”

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Future occupants would make use of a communal dining area with 11 seats, with each room coming with a shower toilet, workspace and modest cooking and eating facilities.

You can view the application by typing reference PL/24/1593 into the council’s planning portal.

The Caffè Nero is open from 6.30am to 8pm Monday to Saturday, and 7am to 7pm on Sundays. 

The project to convert the upper floors into apartments follows the recladding of St Mary’s House in 2022.

The Caffe Nero building, St Marys House in Reading town centre, prior to the bricks being refitted. Credit: Tevye Markson, LDRSThe Caffe Nero building, St Marys House in Reading town centre, prior to the bricks being refitted. Credit: Tevye Markson, LDRS

Back then, the building owners won approval to replace brickwork that had begun cracking years after installation in 2015/16. 

Netting was installed to secure the bricks, with scaffolding being in place for months while fresh bricks were put in place.  

The brick cladding was installed over the original grey stone building which can be seen in street view imagery from 2012. 

Reading Chronicle | Town Centre