Construction workers are busy building an apartment block that will stand at a prominent corner of Reading that many drivers pass every day.
Work is well underway at the corner of Caversham Road and Great Knolly’s Street not far from the town centre, where 40 apartments are being built.
The site, 45 Caversham Road, used to be the home of the Avis car rental, which closed in 2020 and no longer operates in Reading.
Now a four and five storey apartment block is being built on the site, which is passed daily by drivers using the IDR between Reading and Caversham.
CGIs show what it will look like amongst a number of tall buildings, such as Hewitt, an 18-storey apartment tower, and the five-storey 40rty Caversham Road Business Centre, immediately opposite the site.
The CGIs can be seen in the gallery above.
Permission was granted by Reading Borough Council’s planning committee in December 2020, with the block being built by housing association Abri.
Once complete, it will contain 24 two bedroom, 14 one bedroom and two three-bedroom homes.
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Of those 34 will be available to buy through shared ownership and six through affordable rent.
The affordability of the development has been celebrated by councillors.
Councillor Tony Page (Labour, Abbey) said: “Affordable homes are so vital for the community, and we know the importance they play in meeting local needs.
“Our overall vision for housing in Reading is for everyone to have the opportunity to live in a good quality, affordable home within a thriving neighbourhood.
“I’m delighted to see the progress being made on these new apartments which are helping to match that vision.”
Cllr Mohammed Ayub (Labour, Abbey) commented: “The provision of these homes in such a central location gives people the choice of affordability and city centre living, with all that Reading has to offer on their doorstep.
“We actively support the development of affordable homes and hope to see further progress in more areas.”
The councillors attended the build site with Sam Stone, associate director of land and planning at Abri.
Mr Stone said: “Creating homes on such a centrally located site helps the community to thrive by bringing affordable homes to a key location.
“Abri is committed to building at least 12,500 new homes by 2030 and by utilising our own construction team for these apartments we want to make sure they’re built to the highest quality.
“As well as building affordable homes we want to support customers with the impact of the cost of living, working with our local authority partners to focus our resources where there’s the greatest need.
“It was a pleasure to meet with members of Reading Borough Council and we hope to continue to work in partnership with them to deliver more affordable housing and services in the area.”
The development has received grant funding from Homes England to help with the build, withe construction expected to be completed by summer 2024.