Reading
Conference 2005
The latest ambitious
plans to seal Reading’s
transformation into one of the UK’s most vibrant urban
centres were unveiled at a major conference in October 2005.
The Reading Conference,
the third of its kind, is renowned for bringing together the UK’s leading property professionals
to deliver Reading’s up-to-the-minute narrative. The 2005
event was chaired by Giles Barrie, Editor of Property Week.
Hundreds of delegates from both the private and public sectors
filled the Town Hall to hear a programme of presentations from
principal
protagonists and visit the exhibition, where all the major developments,
including a number of models, were displayed.
Capital of the
Thames Valley
The opening address,
given by conference founder and organiser Roger Hicks of
property consultants Hicks Baker,
referred to
the Oracle
and GreenPark being the major catalysts in making Reading,
with its catchment of two million people, the most important
centre
in the
region.
Reading’s position globally, regionally, and
locally was put in context with positive addresses from CEOs
of the South East
England
Development Agency, the South East England Regional Assembly,
and the Thames Valley Economic Partnership. The local authority’s
perspective was given by Council Leader, David Sutton and
Chief Executive, Trish Haines.
Vice Chancellor, Professor
Gordon Marshall, referred to the
University of Reading, just 10 minutes from Reading’s
centre, as being one of the top 20 most research-intensive
universities in the UK.
Unveiling
the Future A series of presentations
gave a glimpse of the next phase of avant-garde developments:
Chatham
Place – (Mike Auger -
AMEC) an 11 acre site about to enter the delivery stage with 33,000
sq ft of offices, affordable
housing and leisure area and 600 space car park
Abbey
Mill House – (Edward Jones -
PMB Holdings) a 15 storey landmark building providing 108,000
sq ft of space
plus underground parking and restaurant
Station
Hill – (John
Madejski/Jon Homan - Sackville Properties) a 25-storey
tower of flats, 140,000 sq ft retail, 670,000 sq ft offices,
re-designed bus station, bars and restaurants
Southside – (Margaret
Grey - RWE Thames Water) 1,150
homes, including affordable housing, hotel, 1.2m sq ft
of offices
Kennet
Valley Park - (Kevin Ashman/Tim Davis - PruPIM)
7,500 homes, community facilities
and nature
park
on 2,250 acres
and expansion
of the 180 acre GreenPark with an integrated
public transport interchange
 
Transport
Revolutionary
proposals, including a one-way Inner Distribution Road (IDR),
and third
Thames crossing,
were revealed
in an exciting presentation
from transport’s lead Cllr
John Howarth and manager Pat
Baxter. Delegates also
had the chance to experience ‘future
transport’ at
first hand, with test rides in ‘Streetcar’,
a cross between a car and a tram.
The overall property market was covered
in a series of sector presentations:
Office
Significant
growth in Reading’s office market was predicted
by Alistair Elliott (Knight
Frank). Whilst
the town centre was competing well
against the business parks,
he believed both environments would
thrive with mixed-use plans.
Industrial
Tim
Johnson (King Sturge) reported Reading’s
level of industrial stock had remained relatively stable
over the past four years with warehousing up 35% and factory
buildings down 9%. Approximately 1
m sq ft was currently available
with a bigger demand now for smaller units.
Retail and Leisure
Two retail experts
Fiona Brownfoot (Hicks Baker) and Graham
Parker (Shopping Centre) revealed
that Reading
was viewed
by the CBI
as the UK’s top location
for retail investment, although
it could experience volatility.
Also outlined was the hotel
market’s expansion
with the current 412 beds
in Reading’s central
area set to treble with plans
in the pipeline from Novotel
and Malmaison. A jewel in
this sector’s
crown will be the upmarket
Forbury Hotel. Toby
Hunter (Waterbridge
Group) announced that
the hotel, opening in February
2006, would include a 30-seater
cinema, restaurant and bar.
Housing
Housing,
and in particular affordable housing, is
a major component
in a number of planned
mixed use
sites.
The
breadth of choice
was demonstrated with £100,000
properties at Southside
whilst at the same time
Steve Woodford (Haslams) predicted Reading’s
first £1m flat.
Serviced Sector
John
Fisher (House
of Fisher) announced plans
for Reading’s
first Apartment Hotel
incorporating 62 suites,
gymnasium, café and
laundry, providing
companies with the
required high-quality,
flexible premises.
The popularity
of the serviced sector was
endorsed by
Guy Lambert (Stonemartin),
who confirmed
the number of
serviced
offices
in Reading exceeded
the national
average and that
the sector had exceptional
prospects
as companies
sought to expand,
while keeping overheads down.
Summary
Reading’s
City Centre Manager, Tim Smith had the task of rounding up the
day’s proceedings and commented that the event was the
only one of its kind in the country – reflecting Reading’s
status as a dynamic location to investors and developers alike.
Conference
Partners
Hicks
Baker
Reading City Centre Management CIC
Reading Borough Coundil
Amec
Property Week
Prudential
Thames Water
The University of Reading
Exhibitors
Amec
Developments
Arlington Securities
Assael Architecture
Barclays Bank
Blandy & Blandy
Broadway Malyan
Boyes Turner
Clarks legal
College of Estate Management
Deloitte
Field Seymour Parkes
Haslams Residential
Landmark Information Group
Millgate Homes
Morgan Lovell
Peter Brett Associates
Pitmans
PMB Holdings
Property Week
Prudential - GreenPark
Prudential - Kennet Valley Park
Reading Borough Council – Transport Team
Ridge and Partners
RPS Transport
RWE Thames Water Property
Stonemartin Corporate Centres
T A Fisher & Sons Limited
The University of Reading
Waterbridge Group Ltd
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