Hong Kong residents flock to Reading, the Silicon Valley of the UK

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The British Leave Outside the Rules (LOTR) entry period expired in July while Hong Kong’s emigration wave to the UK has peaked. Emigration is a pressing issue for Hongkongers and they need to plan their accommodation in advance as many pay huge sums in British hotels and short leases if they don’t line up property before moving. While many choose to live in London, commuter towns like Reading are growing in popularity due to their relatively low cost of living, great schools, open green spaces and improved connectivity due to transport infrastructure upgrades such as the the multi-billion pound Crossrail project. Known as the “Silicon Valley of The UK”, Reading is one of the country’s best performing economic areas with significant development and investment potential. The Elizabeth Line will make living here even more attractive to London commuters and will almost certainly boost the local property market.

The Crossline “Elizabeth Line” takes less than 40 minutes to the Heathrow International Airport

The Elizabeth Line, a large-scale British crossline named after the Queen of England, will be completed in 2023. The line along Reading Station began to open to traffic as early as 2019. It only takes 23 minutes from Reading Station to Paddington Station in Zone 1 London. As a transport hub in London, Paddington Station is connected to multiple tube lines, making it easy to commute to all areas of London. Therefore, some London office workers will choose to live in Reading, which has a lower cost of living. After the opening of Elizabeth Line, it will bring a transformational leap in terms of connectivity asit will run through the entire central London. By then, it will be possible to travel to various areas of London without transferring to the tube. People can even reach Heathrow Airport directly from Reading in less than 40 minutes. It is believed that the completion of the Elizabeth Line will not only bring convenience to the citizens, but from an investment perspective, it will also trigger the investment potential that will drive the future economic growth of Reading. It is believed that property prices along the line will continue to appreciate.

Tech giant companies just minutes from home

In addition to the convenient train route to London, Reading also benefits from the British M4 motorway. The M4 motorway connects London and West England, and passes near London Heathrow Airport. Therefore, many technology giants decide to set up their base in Reading. Leading companies such as Microsoft, Cisco, Oracle, Nokia, Huawei, Intel, etc., have chosen this place to set up their British headquarters. As a result, Reading was dubbed the “the Silicon Valley of the UK” and became the UK’s largest technology business centre, creating many jobs for technological talents.

Excellent schools for the future of your children

As for local education, there are 40 primary schools and 9 secondary schools in the city, including state schools, private schools and boarding schools. Combined with the proportion of the local population, educational resources are vibrant. A total of 9 schools were rated as outstanding (equivalent to Band 1), and 30 schools were rated as Good (equivalent to Band 2), reflecting an excellent school catchment. Excellent educational resources are undoubtedly more conducive to the achievement of students’ talents. Students in Reading performed well in the college entrance examination (A-Level). In 2019, they obtained an average of B Grade or above, with an average score of 39.05.

Hong Kong restaurants to deal with homesickness

Despite the many living advantages of Reading, as an immigrant foreigner, no matter how much he likes the local food culture, sometimes he will inevitably miss his hometown cuisines. Although there is no Chinatown in Reading as in London, there are also two large Chinese supermarkets in the city centre, which can be reached by bus or driving in the city in 10 minutes. You can easily purchase Chinese food and supplies there.

1. SeeWoo

Business hours: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm (Mon – Sun)
Tel.: +44 0118 931 3188
Fax: +44 01189 313233
Email: enquiry@seewooreading.co.uk
Address: 15, Cradock Road, Reading
Website: www.seewooreading.co.uk

2. CMart oriental food store

Business hours: 10:00 am – 5:30 pm (Mon-Sun)
Tel.: +44 020 8123 3268
Address: 132 Friar Street, Reading
Website: https://cmartshop.co.uk/

If you are not a fan of cooking, there are many options for dining out. In addition to traditional Chinese cuisine, Japanese cuisine has always been popular with Hong Kong people. There are many Chinese or Asian restaurants in the centre of Reading, offering authentic East Asian meals. The following are the Chinese and Japanese restaurants with relatively high ratings in Reading. You may wish to save them and try them later!

1. China garden

Business hours: 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm (Tue – Fri);
12:00pm – 2:00pm, 5:00 – 10:00 (Sat – Sun)
Tel.: +44 118 931 3268
Address: 1250 Shinfield Rd, Reading
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/chinagardenreading

2. Kungfu kitchen

Business hours: 9:00 am – 10:00 pm (Mon-Sun)
Tel.: +44 7587 577966
Address: 1250 Shinfield Rd, Reading

Website: kungfureading.co.uk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kungfureading

3. Osaka

Business hours: 11:00 am – 10:00 pm (Mon-Sun)
Tel.: +44 118 957 3200
Address: Unit R16, Riverside Level,
The Oracle, Reading

Website: osakarestaurants.co.uk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OsakaReadingUK

There are many restaurants in Reading waiting to be discovered. When you want to eat out, you may wish to use the comparison platforms of popular local restaurants, such as OPENTABLE, HAPPYCOW, LUXURY RESTAURANT GUIDE, etc., to deal with the homesickness.

Moving to the bustling city with beautiful landscape

Reading’s convenient transportation, stable economy, and excellent school catchment are conducive to local property appreciation and rental return growth. The Berkeley Group, a well-known British developer, sees the massive potential of Reading and builds its newest development, Green Park Village, 3 miles south of Reading town centre. The development is located on the banks of a large lake, bringing natural lake views to the residents in the bustling city. The property covers 60 acres and is only minutes away from the international technology giants, providing convenience for life and work.

Green Park Village includes a Market Square with a proposed café and new primary school. Situated adjacent to the development is Green Park Business Park where there are further amenities including a gym, pool, crèche, restaurants and retail available to meet the needs of daily life. It only takes 12 minutes by bus to reach the city centre of Reading. The forthcoming new railway station, Reading Green Park Station, will provide quick access into Reading and Crossrail in just 6 minutes where trains to London Paddington take as little as 23 minutes. It takes within 40 minutes from Reading city centre to Heathrow Airport via the M4 motorway or train.

Green Park Village also has comprehensive educational facilities, and the new primary school and facilities in the area are completed. There are three primary schools with a Good (equivalent to Band 2 in Hong Kong) rating and two secondary schools with an Outstanding (equivalent to Band 1 in Hong Kong) rating. The University of Reading, the world’s top higher education institution, is also within easy reach, bringing better choices for every level of education for children.

There are many options to buy at Green Park Village, ranging from apartments with 1 – 3 bedrooms and houseswith 3 – 4 bedrooms. The apartments are 999-year leasehold project, while houses are freehold project, which bringthe owners peace of mind to stay in the UK. The price of a single-bedroom flat in the apartment starts at only £293,000, while 3-bedroom houses start at £520,000.

To know more about the prospects of the Reading property market and the information of Green Park Village, sign up to attend the Private Consultation by Benham & Reeves. Our professional team is ready to answer your questions about properties in Reading and Green Park Village.