Essential changes at the prime shopping and eating destination in Reading have been given the go-ahead.
Hammerson, the company that owns The Oracle, has been given consent to install safety measures.
That is just one of the plans decided by Reading Borough Council recently.
Plans continue to progress for the council’s own project to build 62 new homes and a day care centre at the former Central Pool site.
In West Reading, a plan for two family homes has been rejected due to fears over flooding.
You can view each decided application by typing the reference in brackets into the council’s planning portal.
The Oracle rooftop changes (PL/26/0573)
The company that owns The Oracle has won permission to install essential safety measures to its non-public rooftop areas, which can only be seen on the top floor of the car parks.
At a planning applications committee meeting on July 22, senior officer Richard Eatough explained that the company needs to replace and upgrade its rooftop equipment to comply with safety regulations.
He said: Due to their limited scale and rooftop location, they would have a negligible visual impact and not be considered harmful to nearby historic buildings.
No councillors wished to make comment, so an approval notice was issued on July 29.
Plans progressing at Central Pool site (PL/26/0187)
Planning permissions that enable the council’s project of 62 new homes and a day care centre at the former Central Pool site have been granted.
These details relate to the management of the construction, including vehicle access, drainage and habitat enhancement.
Once complete, the site will provide affordable and sheltered living accommodation for people on the council’s housing register.
The pool closed in January 2018, and the building was demolished in the months afterwards.
West Reading family homes rejected (PL/26/0330)
A plan to build two three-bed semi-detached homes in Stone Street near the Stadium Way Industrial Estate has been refused.
The homes would have been created at the end of the street near its meeting point with Wigmore Lane and the Norcot junction.
Planning officer Anthony Scoles criticised many aspects of the design, stating it was cramped and failed to account for biodiversity.
He also ruled that the developer failed to provide an adequate flood risk assessment, leading to its rejection on July 28.
Lights for MUGA at secondary school approved (PL/26/0162)
The Maiden Erlegh Trust has won permission to install 10 low-energy LED floodlights around the Multi Use Games Area (MUGA) at River Academy.
The secondary school and sixth form were opened in September 2024, and the MUGA has been in use since then.
The floodlights enable sports teams to train when its night during the winter.
