Plans for 1,200 new homes in Reading, including the Minster Quarter and mall apartments, show little progress since February.
The plan includes over 600 new homes, a hotel with 102 beds, and commercial space. It will be behind Broad Street Mall.
AEW owns Broad Street Mall and also picked McLaren Living. McLaren Living provides housing for AEW’s project, which will add 644 flats.
The area behind the mall will change significantly. It will get about 1,200 new homes when both projects finish.
McLaren Living was announced last February. There have been few updates since. Developers usually follow a process for big projects.
First, they have a consultation before submitting plans. This can include meetings. AEW held a consultation last July for mall apartments, but no event took place for the Minster Quarter project.
A council person said they work with McLaren Living before submitting plans. This work is separate from the mall project.
The spokesperson said McLaren Living does due diligence before consulting the public.This is expected for a large plan. McLaren Living will create a strategy with the council for community engagement.
Working with others will help the project. The Minster Quarter’s timelines stay separate, even with the mall’s development.
The council must still review mall project revisions submitted last September. The Minster Quarter is near Reading Crown Court.
At least 30% of the new homes must be affordable.