Business park could become housing site
More than 100 affordable and specialist homes could be created at Mulberry Business Park in Wokingham town under proposals being considered by Wokingham Borough Council. The possible redevelopment would replace the site’s current commercial role with housing aimed at people facing particular difficulties in finding a suitable home.
The plans have not yet been approved, and any scheme would also require planning permission. If it proceeds, the development could include accessible and adaptable properties, homes for care leavers, specialist accommodation linked to adult social care and general needs housing. The council says the approach is intended to respond to demand from people already waiting for housing and from residents who may need support to live independently.
A council-owned site being used in this way would also address a financial problem that has developed since the property was acquired. Mulberry Business Park was bought in 2018 as an investment, but the council says the fall in demand for office accommodation after the Covid-19 pandemic has made it difficult to operate as originally intended. The site is now costing the authority more than £800,000 a year.
Housing need put at centre of proposal
Councillor Stephen Conway, leader of Wokingham Borough Council and its executive member for housing, said the authority had tried to make the commercial use work but that the financial conditions had not supported it. He said the council had a responsibility to identify the most suitable future for its buildings, pointing to social housing as one of the borough’s most pressing needs.
“If we could provide more than 100 fully affordable homes in this location, it will help us to meet genuine need and reduce reliance on costly out-of-borough placements.”
The groups identified as potential beneficiaries include people at risk of homelessness, care leavers, residents with physical disabilities and local families unable to afford private accommodation. The council also says the homes could help provide a more stable local option for people who might otherwise need to be placed outside the borough.
- Accessible and adaptable homes for residents with differing physical needs
- Accommodation for care leavers
- Specialist adult social care housing
- General needs homes for people on the housing waiting list
Site has also supported local charity
The business park has not been entirely unused while its long-term future has been considered. For the past three years, part of the premises has been occupied rent-free by The Cowshed charity under a short-term arrangement. The organisation was given time to find another home, and the council said it was proud to have provided that temporary support.
There is currently one commercial tenant and one voluntary sector tenant at the site. Their presence means the proposed change would involve moving on from the remaining mix of uses while seeking a longer-term purpose for the council-owned property. The source material does not set out a timetable for a decision, the number of homes in each category or details of a future planning application.
| Aspect | Information available |
|---|---|
| Location | Mulberry Business Park, Wokingham town |
| Potential homes | More than 100 |
| Ownership | Wokingham Borough Council |
| Annual cost cited | More than £800,000 |
| Planning position | Proposal under consideration; permission required |
For Wokingham residents, the proposal links two pressures facing the council: the need for more genuinely affordable homes and the cost of retaining a property that has not attracted enough commercial demand. The potential scheme would therefore be judged not only by the number of homes it could provide, but also by how well those homes meet the needs identified by the authority. At this stage, Mulberry Business Park remains a proposal rather than an approved development.
