On Friday 31 March, the Station Hill team and Midgard celebrated topping out the structure of the Phase 1, the 600-unit residential rental community, a landmark moment for Reading’s largest development project transforming Reading’s skyline.

The first phase residential-led element of the scheme designed by CRTKL will provide an amenity-rich, service-focused rental community, offering an exceptional, high-quality living proposition for Reading, which is the leading destination of choice in the Thames Valley and the South East.

This event marks another key milestone for the project, enabling residents to move into the first new homes in the summer. Offering a unique central location, and a wide variety of private and publicly activated amenities, the studios, 1, 2, and 3-bed apartments offer a new benchmark for living.

In addition, work on the two-acre Station Hill Square, a pedestrianised public realm linking Reading Station and the town centre, as well as “One Station Hill” the ground-breaking office development at the entrance to the Station, continues at pace, and will be completed early next year enabling a new central destination and public realm for wider Reading and the business community to enjoy.

Once all phases are complete, Station Hill will comprise of up to 625,000 square feet of offices, 1,300 homes, 95,000 square feet of lifestyle-led retail space and provide a new destination for Reading and the Thames Valley community.

Lee Fearnhead, Station Hill’s Director of Construction for Lincoln Property Company UK & Europe said: “It is fantastic to celebrate this significant milestone for the project with local stakeholders and our construction partners at Midgard.

“Events like this showcase the amazing achievement that has been made on-site to date, but more importantly offer an opportunity to give thanks and show our appreciation to the hard-working teams delivering and making the Station Hill vision a reality.

“Phase 1 will deliver 600 incredible new homes and an amenity offering, creating a vibrant new community in the heart of Reading, and we look forward to welcoming the new residents to the Station Hill community. As the first phase nearing completion, and with office and retail elements also coming online early next year, we are already looking ahead to the final phases to ensure the successful delivery of the comprehensive Station Hill vision.”

Cllr Tony Page, Deputy Leader at Reading Borough Council & Lead Member for Climate Strategy and Transport, said: “I am really delighted to participate in an event that celebrates the first major milestone for Station Hill. The development has been many years in the making and as local councillors, we have been working with the owners and the development team to deliver a first-class regeneration scheme for the town and its residents. “Station Hill is on the doorstep of the ‘new’ Reading Station, which was reopened by the late Queen Elizabeth II in July 2014, and is a key part of the Council’s regeneration plan.”

Brendan McGuigan, Project Director at Midgard, said: “We are grateful to Lincoln MGT for giving JRL Group / Midgard the opportunity to deliver this landmark project.”