The John Lewis Partnership (JLP) is pushing ahead with its home-building initiative to improve profits from outside its core retail portfolio.

The retail group wants to transform a former distribution warehouse into rental housing in Reading, Berkshire.

Having submitted plans to the local borough council, the £80 million scheme aims to create 215 “high-quality and energy-efficient” homes, as well as 6,000 sq ft of internal amenity space, including space for community use,  two external garden spaces and improved public realm. 

Located opposite the Oracle shopping centre in central Reading, the scheme will include a mix of one, two and three-bedroom homes and come with shared areas for fitness, home-working and socialising. The scheme will provide 10% affordable homes at Reading Local Housing Allowance levels, it noted.  

The highly sustainable homes, using high-performance materials with renewable energy resources will be car-free with the exception of accessible spaces.  

“The proposals have sought to establish new community partnerships that build on the work already being done by the existing local Waitrose and John Lewis shops”, it added.

The home-building scheme was introduced by outgoing chairman Dame Sharon White five years ago, with the aim of making 40% of its annual profits from ventures outside of retail by 2030.

The scheme has also recently been granted planning consent to transform a Waitrose site in Bromley, South London and is progressing another application in West Ealing, although the latter continues to receive some opposition from local residents.