“Reading has so many elements working in its favour, including accessibility, a highly skilled workforce, the strength and depth of its employer base and a strong sector mix,” says Richard Baker, managing partner at EY in the Thames Valley. “It ticks a lot of boxes.”

The town has become the UK’s third largest tech cluster, home to the likes of Oracle, Microsoft, Cisco and Huawei, and has also attracted top employers in other industries.

Its appeal looks set to grow further thanks to new infrastructure projects. The arrival of the Elizabeth Line will enhance links to London and the Western Rail Link will cut journey times to Heathrow by as much as 35 minutes.

So there is no question that the outlook for Reading’s property market is positive. But with the town’s economy expected to perform so strongly and its transport links improving, the challenge will be to maintain the supply of new space needed to capitalise on growing tenant demand.