£70 million project follows recent consents for John Lewis developments in Bromley and West Ealing
Carey Jones Chapman Tolcher (CJCT) has secured planning approval for a £70 million build-to-rent (BTR) development in Reading, designed for John Lewis Partnership BTR Ltd. The scheme, which was unanimously approved by Reading Borough Council’s planning committee, will deliver 170 apartments on the site of a former customer collections centre on Mill Lane, opposite The Oracle shopping centre.
The project, reduced from an earlier proposal for 215 homes, forms part of John Lewis Partnership’s wider entry into the build-to-rent market. The retailer’s BTR arm seeks to redevelop underused sites within its property portfolio to provide long-term rental homes which it will own and manage directly.
The Reading development comprises blocks of varying heights, the tallest reaching seven storeys. The design includes landscaped communal gardens, around 5,000 sq ft of shared amenity space for fitness and homeworking, and a new community room with access to gardens for local groups.
According to planning documents, the project also targets a 328 per cent biodiversity net gain.
Concerns had been raised over the impact on local health services. NHS representatives warned the development could increase pressure on GP surgeries already operating at capacity. In response, John Lewis has agreed to contribute £146,880 towards a new primary care facility at the nearby Broad Street Mall.
The scheme will provide 17 affordable homes, or 10 per cent of the total, below the council’s 30 per cent policy target.
Katherine Russell, director of build-to-rent for the John Lewis Partnership, said: “We are privileged and proud to have been part of Reading for over 70 years, employing more than 600 people across our John Lewis and Waitrose stores. So Reading isn’t just a place we trade, it’s a community and town where we truly believe we belong, and that’s why Mill Lane feels such a fitting location for one of our very first build-to-rent developments.”
The Reading project follows recent consents granted to the John Lewis Partnership for 428 homes above a new Waitrose in West Ealing at appeal and 353 rental homes above a rebuilt Waitrose in Bromley.
> Also read: John Lewis predicts 40% of future profits could come from housebuilding
> Also read: John Lewis plans to build 10,000 rental homes
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