A plan has been submitted to give a fresh new look to a shopping arcade in Reading town centre.
A plan has been submitted to revamp the Harris Arcade in Reading town centre, giving it a fresh new look.
This indoor shopping arcade connects Friar Street and Station Road, hosting a variety of businesses including a tobacconist, tattoo artist, smoothie shop, antique and comic book collectors, beauticians, hairstylists, and a kebab takeaway.
The refurbishment will protect wooden features while painting the shop fronts in a vibrant turquoise.
Since the Harris Arcade is Grade II listed due to its unique architecture, the arcade’s owner, AEW, needed to submit a planning application for the works.
The arcade was built between 1929 and 1931 for John Harris, incorporating a motor showroom from before 1922, all showcasing a loosely Greek-Revival style, according to the Historic England entry.
AEW purchased the Harris Arcade for £9 million in January 2022. Since then, the Pitcher & Piano bar has been renamed The Signal Box, and Revolution has transformed into Boom Battle Bar, which opened in June.
To view the planning application, search for reference PL/25/1179 on Reading Borough Council’s planning portal.
James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter
