Council proposes pop-up homes for homeless

POP-UP homes for people waiting for a council house could be built in Caversham.

Reading Borough Council is consulting on proposals to build 28 two-bedroom units on the former mobile home park in Lowfield Road.

Each unit would have a combined kitchen and dining room, a living room and bathroom.

They would be timber-clad with uPVC windows and would be stacked in seven blocks, each two storeys high.

The scheme would include 32 parking spaces, bike sheds, a play area and a communal garden.

The council says the buildings’ height and appearance would ensure there was “minimal impact” on their surroundings.

Richard Davies, the council’s member for housing, said: “House prices in Reading are among the highest outside London and demand for affordable housing far outstrips supply.

“The increase in the number of families requiring emergency housing has resulted in the council having to use bed and breakfast accommodation, which is unsuitable and disruptive for homeless families.

“The Lowfield Road scheme will provide 28 decent temporary homes for people who are in urgent need of help and is just one of the many innovative ways the council is working hard to tackle the housing crisis in Reading.”

The council’s own planning committee will decide the application.