Following on from the success of our retail re-purposing scheme at Highcross, we have been working with Hammerson to secure permission for the future re-purposing of the former House of Fraser unit at The Oracle Shopping Centre, Reading.

The proposals seek to reconfigure the existing three storey department store into a mix of new retail, leisure and food and drink units, reactivating the existing Riverside and Bridge Street façades. Internally, two new large format retail units provide strong retailer presence within the mall, at each level. At upper level the removal of the existing department store entrance generates additional parking for the centre.

The creation of two new outward facing leisure units and a new foodhall unit activate the Riverside façade and extend the Oracle’s existing food and beverage and leisure offers along the bank of the River Kennett. The proposed façade works remove inactive and bulky projecting pop outs and replaces them with simple, clean, glazed portals which remove visual clutter and provide much needed visibility into all of the new retail, leisure and food spaces.

Planning approval was granted for the scheme in August 2020.