Former central Reading office block turned into 76 riverside apartments

By TBM Team

28 July 2022

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A total of 76 newly-renovated riverside flats at Dukesbridge House in Reading's town centre have been made available, national property experts Leaders Romans Group (LRG) have announced. Many of the apartments are currently available, with the first batch of tenants being able to move in as early as August the 5th. A good number of the homes have views of the River Kennet.

Six studio apartments, 69 one-bedroom flats, and one two-bedroom apartment are now available in the sizable former office building. The ground floor houses a gym that is privately owned and run.

Extremely close to a variety of shops, bars, delis and restaurants, 'The Dukesbridge' is situated on Duke Street, right in the centre of Reading. Reading Station, The Oracle and Broad Street (the town's main shopping area), can all be easily and quickly reached on foot.

*The building was previously a 22,000 sq. ft. serviced office block*

Richard Chambers is the Senior Lettings Manager at Romans Estate Agents in Reading. He had this to say about the apartments in the context of the market: “There is an unprecedented demand for properties here in Reading, with available properties to rent in the central Reading area at their lowest for many years. This has caused an increase in rents by as much as 10% in some cases and we’re pleased to bring these 76 units to market to help address the supply shortage.”

Andrew Jones, Leaders Romans Group's Group Director for Corporate Lettings & Build to Rent added this about the development: “With the number of individually-owned privately-let properties reducing across the country due to a mixture of political and economic factors, conversions such as this are vitally important to meet demand."

“Following Covid, towns such as Reading are increasingly popular. So too is the flexibility of renting, especially among Millennials. A centrally located development which offers first class amenities and attractive communal areas is part of a growing trend which has already proved very popular in Europe and the US and is now the UK’s fastest growing property class.”

A division of M&G Investments previously owned Dukesbridge House as an office structure. It was bought by Lipman Properties in and converted under permitted development rights into a residence.