Former bike store and coffee shop to become shops and flats

A former bike store and coffee shop that have long been vacant are set to become shops and flats in south Reading. 

The buildings at the junction of Whitley Wood Lane and Whitley Wood Road have been unused for years.

The Smiths motorcycle and bike store ran for more than 70 years before closing down in October 2018.

Meanwhile, the Berkshire Home Brew hot drinks store previously occupied the ground floor of one of the buildings from 2012 to 2018/19.

Since 2021, the buildings have been boarded up and fallen into disrepair.

Now the dilapidated buildings at 142-144 Whitley Wood Lane are set to be replaced with three shops, an 11-bed house of multiple occupation (HMO) and three two-bed houses.

142-144 Whitley Wood Lane in Reading. The old shops are boarded up.

The project was discussed at a Reading Borough Council planning meeting.

Micky Leng (Labour, Whitley), lead councillor for planning said: "It's the broken window effect in areas of deprivation.

"That area has had squatters and drug dealers, it's been a pick up point for drugs, it's had flytipping.

"We've had slates falling from the roof, we've had broken windows, and this has been going on forever.

"So I hope that the owner does his due diligence so we can get this job finished.

"We've had developments come forward, get planning permission, and then have never gone ahead, so I'd like to push this one as quickly as possible."

Planning officer Anthony Scoles welcomed the developer Whitley Wood Properties agreement to pay £65,000 to contribute to providing affordable housing elsewhere in Reading.

The project previously proved unpopular with the council's planning department, with an application to demolish the buildings and replace them with new retail space and 12 flats was rejected in January 2022.

At the time, the council's head of planning judged that the project would “result in an overly bulky, incongruous and visually dominant structure.”

However, the latest iteration of the project was recommended for approval, Mr Scoles arguing that the development would tidy the location up and provide additional housing on a brownfield site.

The design for the replacement building at 142-144 Whitley Wood Lane in Reading. (Image: ECE Architecture)

The latest application was approved by the planning applications committee meeting on Wednesday, June 26.

The development is subject to Whitley Wood Properties reaching a section 106 legal agreement with the council.

If the agreement is not made, the council's head of planning will be given powers to refuse the project.

You can view the approved application by typing reference 231793 into the council's planning portal.

Problems in the area were previously expressed at a licensing applications committee meeting in July last year.

READ MORE: Site of closed motorcycle shop set to be converted into convenience store

At that meeting, cllr Leng spoke on behalf of neighbours who raised concerns about the possibility of a convenience store opening at the address.

It is understood that one of the three commercial units provided in the new development will be occupied by the Whitley Superstore, with applicant Pajan Singh Kaneja winning permission to sell alcohol from the address from 7am to 11pm each day.