A report seeking Committee approval to conduct a public consultation on the Draft Eldon Square Conservation Area Appraisal. A short presentation will also be given by representatives from the Reading Conservation Area Advisory Committee (CAAC).

The Committee considered a report that sought approval to conduct a public consultation on the draft Eldon Square Conservation Area Appraisal during November and December 2025. The following documents were appended to the report:

• Appendix 1 - Equality Impact Assessment
• Appendix 2 - Draft Eldon Square Conservation Area Appraisal (November 2025)

The report explained that the Eldon Square Conservation Area had first been designated in 1972 under the Town & Country Planning Act 1971 (as amended) and had been the first conservation area established in Reading. In 1982 the area had been extended to include Watlington Street, Eldon Street, Victoria Street and Montague Street. The most recent full appraisal of the Eldon Square area had been completed in 2007.

The report stated that, under Section 69 of the List Buildings and Conservation Act 1990 and the National Planning Policy Framework, planning authorities had a responsibility to review their existing conservation areas and to designate any areas of special architectural or historic significance. Historic England also recommended updating conservation area appraisals every 5 to 10 years. The report explained that conservation area appraisals were a material consideration in the determination of relevant planning applications, were specifically referenced in policy EN3 of the Local Plan and provided key evidence for the preparation of planning policy.

Following a review of the Council’s approach to the town’s historic environment, the Council had supported the formation of the Reading Conservation Areas Advisory Committee (CAAC). One of the CAAC’s key concerns was the amount of time elapsed since many of the town’s conservation area appraisals had been prepared and adopted. Best practice recommended that appraisals be updated every five to ten years and several in the town had been identified as being due for renewal. It had been agreed that the CAAC would lead on reviewing conservation area appraisals, working in consultation with local communities.

The Eldon Square review was the fourth to be carried out by the CAAC, following St Peters in 2018, Castle Hill/Russell Street/Oxford Road in 2020 and Christchurch in 2024. The review had been a community-led project conducted primarily by the CAAC, with assistance from RBC planning officers and other interested local community representatives. As recommended by Historic England, the appraisal review had utilised a locally adapted version of the Oxford Character Assessment Toolkit which set out a methodology to assess the character of the landscape and build environment of the area. The appraisal document (Appendix 2) had been updated as a result of the assessment.

The report summarised the various findings and recommendations within the updated appraisal, these included recommendations to expand the boundary of the conservation area to include properties at 84 Queens Road, 77 London Road, 32 Eldon Terrace and, 46 and 48 Eldon Terrace. The report also listed various issues and vulnerabilities that had been identified during the review process and detailed the recommended measures set out within the appraisal’s Action Plan. The recommendations included:

• The expansion of the Eldon Square Conservation Area at the four locations listed above;
• To reduce the number of buildings of townscape merit;
• An Article 4 direction to prevent loss of original features;
• Addressing the issue of domestic bins in front gardens and obtrusive pipework on the front of buildings;
• Improve the blight caused by main roads and residential car parks;
• Address the poor maintenance of the George V Memorial Garden; and
• Address signage, street clutter and material.

The report stated that, if approved, the CAAC would manage the implementation of the Action Plan but that responsibility for certain actions would lay with the Council. The report noted that an informal consultation exercise had been conducted by the CAAC which had attracted 13 responses. The report recommended that the Draft Eldon Square Conservation Area Appraisal, as attached at Appendix 2, be approved for formal public consultation. The proposed public consultation would be undertaken by the Council and responses received during the consultation process would be considered when preparing the final draft appraisal document. Subject to the results of the consultation process, it was anticipated that a report would be submitted to the meeting on 11 March 2026 at which approval would be sought to adopt a final version of the Eldon Square Conservation Area Appraisal document.

At the invitation of the Chair, Evelyn Williams, Chair of the Reading CAAC, delivered a presentation on the work that had been carried out by the CAAC in order to conduct the Eldon Square appraisal and to prepare the draft appraisal document.

Resolved -

(1)           That the Draft Eldon Square Conservation Area Appraisal be approved for public consultation;

(2)           That the Assistant Director of Planning, Transport and Public Protection be authorised to make any minor amendments necessary to the Draft Eldon Square Conservation Area Appraisal, in consultation with the Lead Councillor for Planning and Assets, prior to the start of consultation on the draft document.