University of Reading response to the comments of the Victorian Society on our plans for St Patrick's Hall
Release Date 11 November 2015
This is a response to the comments from the Victorian Society about our plans to redevelop St Patrick's Hall.
St Patrick's Hall is not a museum piece. It is home to hundreds of students, and while we have maintained and upgraded it over the years, it is now increasingly inefficient and approaching the end of its design life. What was appropriate for air cadets in the First World War is inappropriate for students in the 21st century, who rightfully expect high standards.
We have invested £275m in top-class halls to meet student demand in recent years. This new project is the next stage in upgrading and modernising out-of-date halls sites.
Several parts of the University were used by the Royal Flying Corps during the War. The University is proud of its history and commemorates those who have served their country every year on Armistice Day, including those from the RFC who served in Reading. Over the last year we have celebrated our Great War links through initiatives such as the Reading Connections project, public lectures, and exhibitions at our museums.
No final decision has been made, and we welcome all views on the new halls proposals. We are happy to speak to the Victorian Society and would gladly show them around our award-winning campus to take them through our plans.
Further information:
The consultation process with local residents and stakeholders is ongoing. We have listened to comments and are incorporating them into our designs where possible. Our proposals are still developing and we welcome comments on our plans. We are committed to community involvement and invited local residents, neighbourhood action groups and Councillors, as well as University staff and students, to a public exhibition where they could view and comment on the plans. The proposals are also available to view online for anyone that was unable to attend the public exhibition and a dedicated email address for people to share their comments was available for a period of one week following the exhibition. But it did not mark the end of our consultation and we are continuing to meet with local groups and individuals as appropriate. A formal planning application will be submitted to the Council in due course.
To find out more about the proposals for St Patrick's Hall, please click here.