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Reading West rail station building redesigned after criticism

Reading Borough Council Reading West visualisationReading Borough Council
The new design uses brick and glass as part of the construction

New designs for a building as part of a £3.3m railway station development have been unveiled after the initial plans were branded "ugly".

The planning application for the building at Reading West includes new ticket gates, toilets and a cafe.

Latest drawings show it would be built with brick and glass rather than what initially looked to be metal cladding.

Great Western Railway (GWR) updated the proposals after talks with Reading Borough Council and Network Rail.

When the first plans were released in October, some residents compared them to "leaving a shipping container on the pavement".

Community group West Reading Together said: "This is shockingly bad. Not accessible, no pavement, and so cheap and ugly."

Reading Borough Council Reading West visualisationReading Borough Council
Jon Stone, a journalist at The Independent, questioned whether the initial plan was to "leave a shipping container on the pavement"

Councillor Tony Page, lead member for planning, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the latest drawings were a "huge improvement".

He said council officers had worked closely with GWR and its architects for the building to be "in-keeping with the surrounding Oxford Road and the nearby Conservation Area".

As well as changing the building materials, a footpath in front of the station has also been widened after concerns were raised by residents.

Reading Borough Council Reading West visualisationReading Borough Council
The building is part of wider plans to redevelop Reading West Station

Planned changes at the station include ticket gates at both the Tilehurst Road and Oxford Road entrances.

There will also be new lighting, CCTV, toilets, and a shop.

If approved next month, work is expected to start in March 2021 and take a year to complete.