FROM selling school uniforms to burgers – one of the first new tenants of Jackson’s Corner has been confirmed.
Fat Hippo is to move in to one of the new units created as part of the renovation of the former Jackson’s department store in Kings Road, Reading.
The company launched in Newcastle and currently operates in 11 locations across the country, selling a mixture of meat and vegan burgers.
Earlier this month, Reading Borough Council granted planning permission for the diner, which will have 94 seats, four regular unisex toilets and a disabled toilet for guests, with kitchen facilities in a lower ground floor section.
Outside, there will be a black awning, but gold lettering and green branding will remain as these were the department store’s colours.
At the planning meeting, Cllr Karen Rowland (Labour, Abbey) said: “Hopefully for many decades in the future we will still be calling it Jackson’s Corner.
“This is part of the history of the change of use of this building too, so it’s been well handled, I feel like it’s appropriate on that level.”
Planning officers rejected an initial scheme in February last year, and the firm adapted its first application following feedback.
It has also submitted a noise assessment to demonstrate that its proposed kitchen extraction system would not cause disturbance to future occupants living in flats being constructed on the upper floors.
Planning officer Davis argued that Fat Hippo had failed to provide a suitable noise assessment in its previous application.
These changes satisfied the council’s environmental health team and planning officers, who recommended the most recent scheme for approval.
Cllr Rowland said: “As a ward councillor and someone who has dealt with odours surrounding establishments too, we need to be very conscious of that. I do take it on recommendation that the noise and odour assessments have been considered to be fair and reasonable by environmental health group.
“Hopefully there should not be issues in the future, (if there were) that would be dealt with by the environmental health group.”
The scheme was unanimously approved by Reading Borough Council’s planning applications committee on Wednesday, January 10.
The approved application can be found by searching for reference 230574 in Reading Borough Council’s planning website.
