It’s a good while since my last round-up post, so read on below for a quick rundown of Reading Town Centre news. As usual there’s plenty going on…
Continue reading “Autumn Town Centre Update”Autumn Town Centre Update
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Reading regeneration schemes – Spring Update
As the days lengthen and mercury starts to climb, life is springing out of the ground. Although this year, as far as Reading’s major construction projects go, we have some cases of delayed germination. Right now, there’s only one crane following the sun around the town centre sky, despite no end of seeds planted. Let’s take a look at what’s going on…
Continue reading “Reading regeneration schemes – Spring Update”Town Centre Improvement Proposals – Do they hit the target?
A new strategy has been published by the council that looks at how best to enhance the town centre environment. The plans involve resurfacing pedestrian areas, reallocation of road space, and considerable landscaping proposals. It’s a creative-heavy document covering a design strategy, rather than specific funded and timetabled works, and it will go to a consultation initially. I’ve pulled out some of the imagery and details below.
Continue reading “Town Centre Improvement Proposals – Do they hit the target?”Should we be anti new flats? Taking apart the argument
The latest flurry of development news in Reading has focussed on new apartment schemes. It prompts constant debate, so it feels like a good time to make the case, perhaps controversially to some, that this is the right direction of travel for the town.
Continue reading “Should we be anti new flats? Taking apart the argument”Oracle Proposals Updated
Revised plans have been published on The Oracle’s consultation website. For those who haven’t followed this story, the owners of the Oracle are seeking to bring forward a significant mixed use regeneration of the eastern end of their estate. The vacant Debenhams would be blocked off through the middle, across all three levels. Around half would remain as retail/leisure accessible through the mall, and half would give way to new primarily residential buildings. In a subsequent phase, the cinema building would be replaced with further flats, incorporating a smaller replacement Vue cinema at lower levels. I featured the scheme when it was submitted more than a year ago, so I’ll just cover the changes here.
Continue reading “Oracle Proposals Updated”Reading’s Re-purposeful Replanning
Since my last round-up article, there are two updates of particular note. Of more popular interest, news on the Oracle has emerged, and perhaps of wider consequence, a new update to the council’s longer-term local plan is out for consultation. The link between the two is a prevailing direction of repurposing land from retail and office to residential and leisure.
Continue reading “Reading’s Re-purposeful Replanning”Oracle East plans – detailed plans published
I’ve covered this major scheme already, but with the full plans now visible online we can see all the details. The proposed 449 build-to-rent apartments are split either side of the river, with 202 on the Debenhams side and 247 on the Vue side. The cinema stays but is reduced from 11 to 7 screens. The visual above shows the scheme from the east, with the buildings reducing down to five storeys at the London Street end, with rooflines vaguely echoing the former bus depot that many will remember from the site’s former life.
Continue reading “Oracle East plans – detailed plans published”The front-runners for 2023
The end of the year is the obvious opportunity to review the past 12 months, and to look at what’s to come during the next lap of sun. After a tumultuous year internationally, and nationally for that matter, let’s keep things local for a few minutes. 2022 saw a number of projects galloping forwards, whilst others seem perpetually stuck in the traps. One project that’s come up on the rails from nowhere is the Oracle’s major scheme, which was submitted for planning permission this week – more on that shortly. But let’s take a more leisurely canter through the runners and riders for 2023.
Continue reading “The front-runners for 2023”Oracle East – Sizing it up
New concept proposals have been revealed for the eastern part of The Oracle, comprising the former Debenhams and current cinema sites. The idea has been put forward for consultation, but here I explore whether we can really afford to be too demanding in our response.
Continue reading “Oracle East – Sizing it up”
Reading-on-Thames 