Reading Football Club has received planning permission for its £500m Royal Elm Park regeneration scheme in Reading.
Plans for the 38.3-acre site next to the club’s Madejski Stadium include a convention centre, 600 homes and a new retail, leisure and hotel destination.
The club is bringing forward plans for the site through RFC Prop Co Ltd, a partly owned subsidiary.
It is hoped the centre will host events, concerts, conferences, leisure pursuits and community uses, and will become the largest dedicated conference venue in the south of England with a capacity of 6,000.
Nigel Howe, chief executive of Reading FC, said: “This is a huge boost for Reading, and will deliver a step change in the city’s ability to host international, large-scale conferences and events, which the business community here has long sought.
“But the scheme delivers more than that. It delivers a new and reinvigorated destination for businesses and the Reading community, and will significantly enhance the match day experience for our supporters, the driving force behind the club’s success.”
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