Why town centre office block took 20 years to build

A major town centre redevelopment was finally completed last year after being dogged with delays since the land was first acquired in 2005.

For more than fifteen years there had been talk about re-developing Station Hill in Reading to replace the concrete jungle.

Situated opposite the train station, it is the first thing seen by many visitors to Reading and was - for a time - one of the biggest construction sites outside of London.

Last week PwC UK moved into One Station Hill following PepsiCo UK, which makes Walkers, Quaker and Doritos products, completing the circle of a project spanning two decades.

Property firm Lincoln MGT, a combined venture between Lincoln Property Company and investment firm MGT, snapped up the highly sought-after development in 2018, becoming its third owner in 13 years.

The land was previously owned by Sir John Madejski, the former owner of Reading FC, in 2005, before being sold to Sackville Developments in 2013.

The mixed-use Station Hill development was officially opened last summer, nearly two years after a worker at the construction site was rescued by crane operator Glen Edwards when a fire broke out.

The redevelopment has been described as a "dynamic, collaborative and amenity-rich destination" by Lee Fearnhead, Director of Construction for UK & Europe at Lincoln Property Company.

Jason Richards, PepsiCo UK & Ireland's general manager, said the move marked an "exciting new chapter… while reaffirming our commitment to Reading as our longstanding UK home."

Meanwhile, Gareth Murfitt, Reading Market Senior Partner, PwC UK, said opening the new Reading office marks a "significant milestone" for the company.

Peter Kyle MP, Secretary of State for Business and Trade visited One Station Hill last week to see how it is bringing businesses to the heart of Reading.

He told the BBC: "Reading used to be a commuter town where people used to leave the town for work.

"Now, Reading is a commuter town because people are coming into Reading to work.

"The big companies employ lots of local people for the supplies for it.

"So this is the kind of thing that is really showing that Reading is a town that's facing the future.

"It's on the march, it's got a sense of excitement about it."

Matt Rodda, Labour MP for Reading Central, echoed this: "It's really good news because it's creating new jobs, economic growth, wealth for the town, and that's making a big difference to our community."