Plans to build a Premier Inn hotel on the site of a former nightclub next to Broad Street Mall are set to be approved this week.

Broad Street Mall owners Inception Reading SARL (Inception) want to demolish the former Eva’s nightclub and replace it with a 101-room hotel and restaurant/bar.

Eva’s closed in September 2017 after a number of violent incidents.

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Reading’s Conservation Area Advisory Committee has objected to the plans for several reasons, including the ‘bland, unexciting appearance’ and ‘monolithic height’ of the proposal as well as a desire to retain the Eva’s building.

Reading Chronicle:

The building would be eight storeys on the west side and seven storeys on the east.

As well as the vacant nightclub building and its garden, Inception would also build over an adjacent warehouse building.

Both buildings have prior approval consent to be demolished.

Chain steakhouse ‘Bar and Block’ would be on the ground floor of the Premier Inn hotel, opening from 630am to midnight,

The bar and restaurant currently has ten establishments across England.

The council’s licensing committee previously rejected an application by Premier Inn at the site as planning permission had not been granted.

Councillor Paul Woodward, then chairman of the licensing applications sub-committee, said: “The building doesn’t exist yet. Planning permission hasn’t been granted.

“We are a little concerned that it is putting the cart before the horse and we do not have a real building to look at.”

Inception are also planning to build 530 flats on top of the shopping centre in a separate proposal that will not be heard this week.

The application is one of two hotels the council will decide whether to approve this Wednesday, July 17.