Town's revamp bid under scrutiny

An artist's impression of the new £50m Reading Civic Centre

A series of public hearings where a major redevelopment plan in a Berkshire town will be scrutinised by government chiefs are to get under way.

The Reading Area Action Plan, setting out the development of central Reading up to the 2026, will be fully examined.

An officer appointed by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government will look at council plans for flood risk areas and development.

The four sessions will be held at Reading Town Hall from 9 September.

A council spokesman said the official's job "is to consider whether the plan is sound".

"If it is, the document can be adopted and work will start to put its proposals into action," he added.

The hearings bring an end to a three-year process, involving three stages of consultation.

Leader of the council Jo Lovelock said: "This is a very significant stage in the delivery of the council's vision for the centre, a process kick-started by the publication for consultation of the City 2020 Vision in 1999."