A cinema company has spoken out on closure rumours for Vue in Reading as the site is earmarked for more than 400 homes in the coming years.
Plans have been afoot since 2022 to redevelop buildings at The Oracle shopping centre in Reading that will turn it into a place to live for the first time in its history.
The project being pursued by the centre owners Hammerson would see buildings either side of the River Kennet replaced to make way for a total of 436 apartments.
One of these buildings, houses the Vue cinema, the Miller & Carter Steakhouse and Cote Brasserie.
If redevelopment plans are given the go-ahead, the building will be demolished to make way for 218 apartments.
However, the cinema company has implied that any closure is a long way off, stating there are no plans to close the movie theatre.
A spokesperson for Vue said: “We are in regular conversations with our landlord and have no current plans to close Vue Reading.
“Instead, we are looking forward to continuing to provide our customers with the best big screen experience to enjoy the great films that are coming in the months ahead: Joker: Folie à Deux, Paddington in Peru and Wicked to name a few.”
Redevelopment plans for the Vue cinema building and the former Debenhams store on the other side of the Kennet have to be approved by Reading Borough Council’s planning applications committee before work can start.
Official plans for the project were submitted in January 2023, with revisions made in April this year.
You can view the application to replace the cinema and restaurants building by typing reference 221917 into the council’s planning portal.
Meanwhile, Hammerson also has a project to partly demolish the former Debenhams so that a further 218 apartments can be built.
This part of the project involves the provision of a flexible commercial unit and ‘co-working space’ on the ground floor of the replacement buildings.
Last year, Hammerson won permission to divide the former Debenhams department store up into three units.
The Debenhams has been completely empty for a year since September last year.
The Franco Manca Italian restaurant and The Real Greek restaurant both closed a year ago to clear the way for redevelopment, after six-year stints at The Oracle.
Meanwhile, the Next Beauty & Home that occupied the former Debenhams store lasted around three years, closing in August 2023.
You can view the application for the former Debenhams unit by typing reference 221916 into the council’s planning portal.
