News from Reading Borough Council.
Reading Borough Council plans to submit a £20 million bid for Government ‘Levelling Up’ funding to breathe new life into its cultural and learning offer for Reading residents. The bid is made up of a £8 million investment to rebuild Central Library at the council’s civic offices in Bridge Street to create a flexible space for the whole community that embraces not only the traditional offer of book loans but looks to the future with a digital and learning offer and a £12 million investment to revitalise Reading’s much-loved and popular Hexagon Theatre, creating an attractive, flexible and exciting new space for performances and community use.
If the bid is successful, this will form the first phase of a longer-term regeneration of the Hexagon and also feed into the council’s ambitious and wider plans to create the ‘Minster Quarter.’ Both plans will focus heavily on improved sustainability, as part of the council’s long-standing commitment to working towards a net-zero carbon Reading by 2030, and much improved accessibility for everyone.
The bid is to the government’s Round 2 Levelling Up Fund, and if successful the council would match-fund by 10% from its own capital investment fund.
The bid is due to be made in July and news of whether it has been successful should be known in autumn 2022. The council has created some indicative designs and artist’s impressions which you can view on its project page. It is emphasised that the proposals are still relatively early concepts.