Plans for the redevelopment of a Grade II-listed former swimming pool in Caversham, Berkshire, have been delayed despite receiving the approval of Reading Borough Council's (RBC) cabinet.

Askett Hawk had been selected as the preferred developer for the King's Meadow Pool scheme at a cabinet meeting on 14 April, only for the council's Corporate Community and External Affairs (CCEA) Panel to request on 15 April that further work be done on the preferred bid, as well as a rival option from the King's Meadow Campaign (KMC). According to the CCEA Panel, both of the bids presented to the cabinet contained significant flaws which need to be addressed; the Askett Hawk proposals on the grounds that it fails to meet the planning brief for the area, and the KMC bid due to concerns over its business plan.

Both redevelopment proposals for the King's Meadow Pool, which has been closed since 1974, are now expected to be resubmitted at a future cabinet meeting on 1 June for further consideration. Current plans submitted by Askett Hawk for the pool include the restoration of the pool as a spa, which would form part of a new 60-bed boutique hotel, along with restaurants and bars as part of a riverside leisure destination.

Meanwhile, KMC's proposals would see the facility reopened as a swimming pool during the summer months to cater for a variety of watersports, while winter activities would include a temporary ice rink and a dry area for indoor markets, art exhibitions and community hire.