Arch restoration work to prevent collapse

A 180-year-old arch at a busy road junction in Reading is set to be restored following fears it could collapse.

The monument at Cemetery Junction dates back to 1840 and is located at the graveyard in East Reading, which used to be the town’s main cemetery.

Reading Borough Council's planning committee heard inspections showed the age and proximity to the roads meant the council-owned arch was in danger of collapsing if remedial action was not taken.

Planned maintenance works to rectify the structural defects were approved by councillors.

Members were told council inspectors identified a number of defects which have led to significant structural cracking and weakening in places.

Karen Rowland, lead councillor for environmental services, said the gateway was a building that many people "hold very dear".

“Because of its standing and the limestone, that is actually causing the building not to breathe, trapping the moisture inside," she told the meeting.

“If we get the building cleaned, it can breathe, so this is essential work."

Junction Arch Heritage and Arts (JAHA), has long had hopes to lease the arch from the council to turn it into a heritage hub and host art installations.

In June the group held a community survey to gauge support for its plans.

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