Safety Upgrades Coming to The Oracle Shopping Centre

Hammerson has won permission to install roof-level safety measures at The Oracle shopping centre in Reading.

The work includes safety railings mostly on the Holy Brook building north of the River Kennet, a new fixed access ladder at the top of the building from Broad Street, and removing safety wire around the former Lemoni restaurant building.

Because of the scale of the changes and their proximity to historic buildings, the scheme needed planning permission and was considered by Reading Borough Council's planning applications committee on July 22.

Justifying the works, planning officer Richard Eatough said: "The works are required to ensure compliance with current health and safety standards, and to enable the safe maintenance of rooftop plant and equipment that supports the operation of the shopping centre.

"Due to their limited scale and rooftop location, they would have a negligible visual impact and not be considered harmful to nearby historic buildings."

No councillors commented and the application was unanimously approved. You can view the application with reference PL/26/0573 on the council's planning portal.

Elsewhere at The Oracle, models are on show for the free Reading dino trail. Snowflake Gelato opened a kiosk on Friday, July 31, and Haute Dolci is due to open on August 22, taking over the unit previously occupied by Mission Burrito, which closed after 16 years in February 2025.

James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter