John Lewis submits £80m plan to turn Reading depot into rental flats

Department store chain aims to build 215 homes as part of push to diversify beyond retail

The owner of John Lewis has submitted plans for the 80m development of 215 rental flats on the site of its unused Reading distribution centre - a tenth of which will be affordable.

The John Lewis Partnership (JLP), which owns Waitrose supermarkets as well as its eponymous department stores, said the site would feature two garden spaces, including one for children, and shared communal spaces for fitness, home working and socialising.