THE ORACLE is to undergo its biggest transformation since it opened in 1999 and sees the end of department stores as part of the shopping experience.
At launch, the House of Fraser was at one end, while the former Debenhams store on Broad Street was moved into new premises at the other and were known in the trade as anchor stores.
Site owners Hammerson have now won approval from Reading Borough Council to convert the stores into three units.
Its planning agents Turley said the desire for department stores is declining and that the changes allow greater flexibility to attract businesses.
This was accepted at a meeting of Reading Borough Council’s planning applications committee on Wednesday, September 6.
Cllr Jan Gavin (Labour, Caversham) welcomed the change and said: “It seems to me only yesterday when The Oracle opened, it was actually 24 years ago, and it is extraordinary how in those 24 years our shopping habits and the way we purchase and select items has changed radically.
“Throughout the country, these large shopping centres seem now not to be able to sustain these large anchor stores.
“I can remember the excitement of The Oracle opening and these two anchor stores at either end, Debenhams at one end, and House of Fraser at the other, which was the posh one.
“I think it [the plan] reflects how we must move with the changing habits of consumers, because if we don’t, then we’re going to be left with dead space in a regional shopping centre.
“Do you remember that people travelled to Reading from a large distance for The Oracle. We need to make sure that we keep it a vibrant and successful shopping centre and activity centre.”
The unanimous decision from the committee removed a condition dating back to the planning approval for The Oracle in 1997, which preserved the two largest units in the west and east of the centre for department store use only.
Dedicated department store space will now be limited to a minimum of 1,000 sqm of floor space.
Cllr Gavin was glad that the new space would not be made into “tiny little rabbit hutch type” units.
The plan was approved with various conditions attached, which state that Hammerson must submit detailed plans to the council’s planning department relating to the retention of car parking spaces and public access to the centre and the surrounding area.
The decision comes as The House of Fraser will be closing in October, following the closure of Next Beauty & Home, which took on the Debenhams site, last month.
Two restaurants in the former Next unit, Franco Manca and The Real Greek, closed last week.
