Kennet Island
Local Area, Facilities, Roads & Parking
In this section you will find details of Kennet Island Owned Parks & Playgrounds, Conservation Areas & Ponds, Local Business in the Central Piazza, Hilton Hotel, Local Gyms, Supermarkets, Postal and Delivery facilities. Roads & Parking including the Parking Control Permit System. Local Council, MP & Councillors.
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions at the bottom of the page.
Central Piazza
The Central Piazza contains a range of local businesses and services. Including;
Fidget and Bob - a popular café owned and operated by local residents; open daily for morning coffee, a light lunch or a meeting point, and on into the evening for live music and a drink.
Visit this website for latest offers, opening times and events.
Londis Kennet Island (New Opening 6th August 2021) - Local Store, open daily; 7am - 11pm Mon - Sat and 8am - 11pm Sun.
Services include; PayPoint, Lottery, Fresh & Frozen food, Off license.
Hudson's - a local convenience store open daily for your essentials.
Learn & Grow Childcare - open Mon- Fri 7:30am to 6pm.
The Meeting Point - located in the centre of Kennet Island, a bookable space for private hire; parties, events, meetings or socials, for only a small cleaning fee / hourly rate. Contact PBM office for more information.
Hair Studio - The Dude Lab - The hair specialist by appointment.
Kennet Island Owned Play Parks & Greens
There are multiple children's play parks and recreation greens within Kennet Island - the plants, landscaping and maintenance of these parks are part of the communal base service charge for all residents. Please report any damage or maintenance to these areas including lighting and park benches through the maintenance & reporting page.
-5-10 minutes' walk along the river side to the north of Kennet Island towards the town centre, is a free outdoor basketball court and purpose-built skate and BMX park
Wildlife Conservation Area
Part of the landscaping of Kennet Island includes a large wildlife conservation area, running from along the side of the A33 up to the north point of Kennet Island with a series of wetlands and ponds. This area contains wild flowers to attract insects and bees, as well as wetlands and ponds for aquatic life, bird and bat boxes.
The Conservation area is maintained by an ecologist in partnership with Kennet Island landscapers.
• Please note - the conservation area is viewable via the decking, observation platforms and pier over the pond. However, this area including ponds, meadow and wetland is a wildlife conservation area and should not be used for walking, dogs or a children's play area.
-North of the conservation area is a river side path into Reading, along this path is a series of dog walking parks, woodlands and nature walks
Hilton Hotel & Hospitality Centre
At the A33 entrance to Kennet Island is the Hilton Hotel Reading.
The Hilton hotel offers multiple facilities, as well as 210 guest bedrooms, it also has The Larder restaurant and Bar K; bar & café. An Events Ballroom for private hire for large events, weddings and celebrations. A business and conferencing facility. And the LivingWell Health Club with indoor swimming pool, sauna, gym and beauty treatments available.
All facilities are available to Kennet Island residents, and Hilton offer Kennet Island residents exclusive neighbour discounts, such as 20% off of gym memberships. For more information you can contact the Hilton directly or visit their website
Local Gyms: LivingWell & PureGym
There are two gyms in & within a 5 minute walk of Kennet Island. The largest & busiest is Puregym on Basingstoke Road. Puregym has over 220 pieces of equipment including cardio and free weights, more than 50 classes and personal trainers available, open 24 hours a day, membership from only £15.99 per month.
Kennet Island residents can also get an exclusive residents 20% discount at LivingWell Health Club at the Hilton Hotel on Drake Way. LivingWell offer a swimming pool, sauna, gym and health & beauty treatments. Residents have two offers; an annual membership discount of 20% or a flexible 1 month membership at £40 & £42 respectively per month.
To get the discount add promotional code ‘reakennet’ to the LivingWell membership website (proof of residency is required on your first visit to validate your discount)
You can also get 1 day gym passes from as little as £6, as well as 5 and 10 session passes available with no contracts to thousands of gyms including local gyms in the RG2 area; LivingWell at Hilton Kennet Island, Nuffield Health, Spirity Health Club, South Reading Leisure Centre, Le Club Millennium at Madejski - via the pay-as-you-gym hussle website
The Circle Reading - Hospital
Located within Kennet Island on Drake Way.
The Circle Reading is a private hospital opened in 2012 with state of the art facilities, offering consultation, out patients, GP, theatre, day and over night beds.
While the hospital is private, accepting patients from private healthcare, they also see NHS patients through referral.
Parking in Kennet Island
All residences have allocated parking in Kennet Island.
The Parking bays in Kennet Island are all numbered and marked i.e. ''X123'' or ''Y456'', with visitor parking bays located all around Kennet Island marked with a ''V''.
There are a small number of visitor bays around the central piazza that do not require a parking permit or visitor permit - these are restricted to a 2 hour stay only, marked with ''V-2H''.
The parking bays are monitored by PCM - Parking Control Management Ltd. PCM do not charge residents a direct service charge for their service, the cost is managed centrally & recovered primarily through parking control notices to those without the valid permits displayed for the parking bays across the whole of KI.
Parking permits must be clearly displayed in the front of the car windscreen. The front of the permit must be visible with the permit number / bay number. Visitor bay permits may not be used in numbered allocated parking bays, and numbered allocated permits are not valid in visitor bays. The RMC recommends using a plastic permit holder / wallet to prevent accidental loss and slipping.
A parking control system was put in place at Kennet Island to help all residents. Due to the proximity of Kennet Island to Reading Madjeski Stadium and local Business Parks to prevent parking from non-residents.
Missing, Replacement & Temporary Permits
If you require a replacement parking permit - you can contact PCM directly during office hours on: 01753 512603 option 3 for Permits - replacement permits cost £5, they can take a few days to arrive in the post, PCM will therefore issue you with a temporary permit code over the phone to put in your window while your permanent permit is posted to you.
Can I remove my parking bay from the PCM system?
Property owners are free to remove their private parking bay from the PCM controlled parking system if they wish.
If you do this, you will no longer have to display a permit in your allocated bay - only.
Please note, if your bay is removed from the parking control system, there will be no assistance if anyone parks in your bay. If you remove your bay from the system, there is also no route to re-enter to the system again, should you change your mind.
Visitor bays will still require a visitor permit to be displayed.
Only property owners can remove their allocated bay from the parking control system. If you are renting, you will need to contact your landlord or property owner.
Are there time limits for Visitor Bays?
Yes, Visitor bays are for residential visitors, bays can be used for 48 hours by the same car, with a ''no return for 24 hours'' policy. If you stay parked within a visitor bay for longer than 48 hours you can receive a parking ticket.
What do I do if someone parks in my space or illegally?
Allocated numbered parking bays are the property of the property owner - if someone parks on your property you have the right to take legal action against them.
You can report the car to PCM - the parking control management company - Call: 01753 512603 , open during office hours, they will take the information of the parking bay number and location, and an enforcement officer from PCM will visit to issue a parking control notice (PCN), as soon as possible, they can issue a PCN to any vehicle without a valid permit for your space, and visitor bay violations.
Do NOT call the PBM Property Management's emergency call line for parking issues - they cannot help and non-emergency calls to this number will be charged and contribute to increased service charge costs.
If you experience issues with repeated parking in your bay outside of office hours or invalid use of visitor bays, you can record the registration number(s) and work with The Resident Management Company & The Property Management office during office hours to help you.
If a vehicle is parked illegally on a road or pavement - this means any vehicle blocking access to a road, junction or pavement on/off ramp, any vehicle parked on, or overhanging a pavement, where the vehicle is not leaving enough space for a wheelchair to have clear access of the pavement - you can report this to the Council or call Thames Valley Police on the non-emergency number: 101, they can fine or even remove the vehicle.
Roads, Street Lights & Pavements
The roads, pavements & street lights within Kennet Island are adopted by Reading Borough Council.
There is one bus lane in Kennet Island on Gweal Avenue at the Central Piazza - this is controlled by Reading Borough Council via CCTV, driving through the bus lane in a car will result in a penalty fare issued by RBC.
If you need to report any issues, street light out, pavement slab loose or pothole in the road - you can do this by reporting this direct to the council.
Reading Borough Council Website:
or via the mobile app:
FIX MY STREET
Kennet Island Neighbourhood Watch
Following the successful July 2019 meet your councillors & Thames Valley Police event, hosted in KI, the proposal to start a formal Kennet Island Neighbourhood Watch has been taken forward. Neighbourhood Watch information packs are available from TVP and are at the Property Management's Kennet Island office for any resident to collect.
If you would like to help, join or register your interest in more information, please register your details here:
Your Local MP, Councillors & Voting
Reading Borough Council is run majority by Labour.
Voting & Representation: Reading is split into multiple wards - Kennet Island is currently located in the Whitley Ward. The local voting location is Whitley Park Primary School on Basingstoke Road.
Your Local Councillors: (Left to Right)
Rachel Eden - Labour & Co-Operative
Micky Leng - Labour
Alice Mpofu-Coles - Labour & Co-Operative
Your Local MP for Reading West: Alok Sharma MP - Conservative
Bus Services
Reading Buses operate a daily dedicated Ruby Number 10 circular service from Kennet Island Central Piazza to Central Reading and Train Station. There are three stops in KI, all westbound; at the Manor Farm Road entrance to KI, main Central Piazza stop and lastly opposite the Hilton on Lindisfarne Way. All services are now westbound bound services direct into Reading town centre; St Marys Butts & Train Station; Friar Street, then repeating in a circular back to KI. One way from KI Central Piazza to Reading Town Centre is only 5-10 minutes average transit time.
There is a 24 hour Emerald Number 6 bus, with stops near the east entrance of Kennet Island outside Morrison's & Gillette on Basingstoke Road.
You can pay on the bus by Cash or Card contactless payments - or scan pre-paid passes with; their mobile app & weekly, monthly and annual tickets.
For pre-paid tickets visit the Reading Buses Ticket Shop at St Mary's Butts or The Reading Buses website or mobile app.
Postal & Delivery Services
There is a post box in Kennet Island, located in the Central Piazza, on Gweal Avenue, next to the bus stops.
Royal Mail also have their delivery depot on Gillette Way, just a 3 minute walk to the east of Kennet Island for missed delivery pick-ups and parcel drop-offs.
The depots for DHL and Yodel are also within a 5 minute drive from Kennet Island to the south.
The Morrisons supermarket on Basingstoke Road also provides an amazon drop box location with 5 minutes of Kennet Island.
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions:
Parking & Permits:
Q: Do I need a parking permit for my own car?
A: Yes, any property on site is entitled to have 1 permanent permit for their own vehicle.
Such permits are distributed by PCM whom are the parking contractor on site, any permit queries should be directed to PCM by emailing them on: permits@pcm-uk.co.uk or by telephone: 01753 512 603.
Please note that PCM permit division operates within normal business hours, therefore any requests for a new permit will only be dealt with till 5pm (Monday – Friday)
Do not contact Property Management Out of Hours Service for parking related issues, out of hours will not be able to assist you with it as such queries can only be addressed by PCM directly.
Q: Do I need a permit for my visitor?
A: Yes, visitor permits are issued by PCM (Parking Control Management), if you are a property owner there are 2 visitor permits allocated to your property and these should have been handed over to you at the time of completion.
If you are a tenant, please refer to your landlord first prior to contacting PCM.
To contact PCM for visitor permits please email them on: permits@pcm-uk.co.uk or by telephone: 01753 512 603.
Please note that PCM permit division operates within normal business hours, therefore any requests for a new permit will only be dealt with till 5pm (Monday – Friday)
Do not contact Property Management Out of Hours Service for parking related issues, out of hours will not be able to assist you with it as such queries can only be addressed by PCM directly.
Q: What do I do if someone parked in my space?
A: If you have arrived home and found someone parked in your space, please contact PCM immediately by telephone: 01753 512 603
Should their operative be present in local area, they will ask him to attend and issue a ticket on the vehicle.
You can also take a picture of the vehicle and forward it to PCM via email, please contact them first for exact instruction on how to do this.
Please note that you will need to park your vehicle in a Visitor space for the time being and therefore you will need to display a visitor permit, failing to do so will result in your vehicle also being penalised.
Do not contact Property Management Out of Hours Service for parking related issues, out of hours will not be able to assist you with it as such queries can only be addressed by PCM directly.
Q: I cannot open car park gate with my remote controller
A: If you cannot open the gate it may be that your remote have run out of battery power, during business hours (Monday – Friday) please contact PBM Property Management immediately as they will be able to assist you.
For outside of business hours occurrences, please await for another resident to try to open the gate with their remote,
should they also fail it will indicate that there is a problem with the gate itself and therefore you will need to call “out of hours” service.
Do not contact Property Management Out of Hours Service if the battery in your car park gate remote is flat, out of hours will not be able to assist you with it but you will incur a £30 charge for callout.
Anti-Social Behaviour & Crime
Q: I witnessed anti-social behaviour on site / I witnessed crime being committed on site
A: Please note that any occurrences of anti-social behaviour as well as any crime witnessed need to be reported to Police by calling 999. Only if reported to them immediately, Police will be in position to dispatch a patrol and address the situation.
Once reported to Police please email PBM Property Management on kennetisland@pbm-property.com so this can be logged by them, PBM will also be able to arrange for any repairs to take place (if required).
Do not expect PBM Property Management to report the crime on your behalf, such reports should be done immediately by a person witnessing it so these can be tackled whilst perpetrators are still on site and not on the following day.
Also please be mindful that Kennet Island is a development with public right of access roads, it is not a gated community nor it has its own security. As such we do rely on public services to help us in keeping peace and quiet as and when required.
Do not contact Property Management Out of Hours Service for any such reports, out of hours will not be able to assist you with it but you will incur a £30 charge for this callout.
Bike Sheds
Q: My bicycle was stolen from the bike shed
A: Please note that any such incidents (whether you are a victim of it or just a witness to it) should be reported to Police by calling 999 in an emergency or on the non-emergency Police number: 101.
Only if reported to them immediately, Police will be in position to dispatch a patrol and address the situation.
Once reported to Police please email PBM Property Management on kennetisland@pbm-property.com so this can be logged by them, PBM will also be able to arrange for any repairs to Bike shed door (if required).
Please be advised that bike sheds are a communal space and therefore it is each bike owner’s own responsibility to ensure that their bike is secured therein.
Local PCSO team are organising bike marking events on Kennet Island on regular basis, please check the notice board in your block or this website for regular updates on the next date due.
Please also note that any bicycles left within the bike shed are left their at the owner’s own risk, neither PBM nor the Developer can be held responsible should any bike be stolen.
Do not contact Property Management Out of Hours Service for any reports of stolen bicycles, out of hours will not be able to assist you with it but you will incur a £30 charge for this callout.
Q: I need a code to access my bike shed
A: For security purposes all bike shed codes are changed on a regular basis, every 3 months.
PBM Property Management will notify you of the upcoming change in advance by placing a notice on the inside of the bike store door, this is to ensure that only those whom are using the bike stores are aware of the change.
If for any reason you missed the notification, please visit PBM in their office (based at Kennet Island) during working hours.
You will need to bring a proof of address with you before they will be able to give you the new code.
Alternatively you can email PBM on: kennetisland@pbm-property.com and attach the copy of proof of address to your email, PBM will respond to your email with a new code for the bike store.
Do not contact Property Management Out of Hours Service asking for the code, out of hours will not be able to assist you with it but you will incur a £30 charge for this callout.
BBQs & Fires
Q: Is hosting a BBQ permitted on site
A: NO BBQ’s are allowed on site, that includes play parks and freehold houses on Kennet Island as well.
It is against the Lease covenant and also causes a fire risk which can in return invalidate the Insurance policy for your property.
Should you wish to report someone using a BBQ on site, please email PBM Property Management on: kennetisland@pbm-property.com