Changes are coming to The Oracle in Reading, the shopping and eating centre that opened in 1999 and has seen the closure of House of Fraser and the former Debenhams in recent years.
Reading Borough Council approved a Hammerson plan earlier this year to add homes to the site. The scheme would deliver 436 apartments by partly demolishing the former Debenhams and fully demolishing the Vue cinema.
It's split into two phases: 218 flats at the former Debenhams north of the River Kennet (Yield Hall Place 1) and the rest at the Vue site south of the river (Yield Hall Place 2).
The development would mean losing the cinema and five restaurant units, including Miller & Carter and Cote Brasserie, though closures and construction are likely to take years.
The work is planned in phases, starting with Yield Hall Place 1. The entire building has been closed since September 2023.
The former House of Fraser has already been transformed, with Zara opening on 1 May.
Before building can start Hammerson must sign a section 106 legal agreement with the council to pay for infrastructure and service impacts. An officer's report says an affordable housing contribution of between £7 million and £8.6 million is expected.
Hammerson previously announced TK Maxx and Hollywood Bowl would replace House of Fraser in December 2023, and a similar announcement is expected for this project.
Other updates: a 'Balloon Bar' has opened at The Oracle Riverside pop-up after an Apre Ski-style bar flooded in January 2024. Hammerson has also applied to replace rooftop safety lines and handrails with safety rails and install a fixed ladder at the Holybrook Building, which contains the former House of Fraser and the shops and restaurants north of the Kennet (except former Debenhams). You can view the application under reference PL/26/0573 on the council planning portal.
James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter
