Broad Street Mall
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Re: Broad Street Mall
I use the Butts Centre Superdrug as it's much easier to find stuff than the Broad St branch. Same goes for H and B.
Re: Broad Street Mall
Sorry, I'm not getting your point? As bluemondayuk posted, some folk wouldn't be seen dead in there, but many others (like Maggie in the post above), find it a useful shopping destination, even if some of the stores have other branches elsewhere.jonbryce wrote: ↑05 Mar 2019 16:12Greggs, Superdrug, and Holland & Barrett already have branches elsewhere.bert wrote: ↑03 Mar 2019 23:14Yep, I agree. Also - The Works, Greggs, Boswells, Superdrug, Holland and Barrett etc. It's not as glossy as The Oracle, but as well as those pretty popular stores, it has a gym, NHS walk in centre and a post office. I pop into town 2 or 3 times a week and I usually spend more time in the BSM than in the Oracle.bluemondayuk wrote: ↑02 Mar 2019 14:06 BSM might put the frighteners up some of the middle class types on here, but the footfall for Wilkos, TK Maxx, Poundland and the incoming Iceland will keep the place ticking over quite happily.
Nobody uses the Butts Centre Superdrug, everyone goes to Broad Street. It's a lot bigger and has more stock lines.
Holland & Barrett are also in Smelly Alley & Oracle. I think most people use the Oracle shop.
Re: Broad Street Mall
Don’t mention the flats...


Re: Broad Street Mall
Only two cars in the artists impression. Fanciful.
Re: Broad Street Mall
Not sure why, it's a pedestrianised area
Re: Broad Street Mall
Nor has it ever been lol. It’s the road minus the bollards.
Re: Broad Street Mall
There’s Pay and Display parking on the market side along there for about 9-10 cars – other side is DYL’s
But with this development that parking could go, so nothing wrong with that image
But with this development that parking could go, so nothing wrong with that image
Oldman........
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to hide the bodies of the people I had to kill because they annoyed me........................
I hug everybody –
It’s not affection, I’m just measuring up how big a hole I need to dig for the body!
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to hide the bodies of the people I had to kill because they annoyed me........................
I hug everybody –
It’s not affection, I’m just measuring up how big a hole I need to dig for the body!
- Voiceoftreason?
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Re: Broad Street Mall
Where would they supply the shops from? I take it the green canopies are shops?
Disclaimer: it wasn't me as wot said it, it was my iPad spellchecker!
Re: Broad Street Mall
That's the ex-Poundland unit and is serviced - like the rest of the centre - from the basement.Voiceoftreason? wrote: ↑18 Jun 2019 11:27 Where would they supply the shops from? I take it the green canopies are shops?
- Voiceoftreason?
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Re: Broad Street Mall
Ah right yes, I’d forgotten about that.
Disclaimer: it wasn't me as wot said it, it was my iPad spellchecker!
Re: Broad Street Mall
cnb wrote: ↑18 Jun 2019 12:01That's the ex-Poundland unit and is serviced - like the rest of the centre - from the basement.Voiceoftreason? wrote: ↑18 Jun 2019 11:27 Where would they supply the shops from? I take it the green canopies are shops?
That Poundland store got a mention on 'Shopping with Keith Lemon' by Jimmy Carr. He said he likes it than at one of the venues he plays in Reading there is a Poundland and a 99p store next to each other.
Re: Broad Street Mall
Can't believe that you can condemn The Oracle as ugly but decry the fact that the brutalist 70s architecture of The Butts isn't protected.

Whilst I am a moderator, I am NOT posting in that capacity unless I explicitly say so
Re: Broad Street Mall
It’s an improvement if they can get it to look like the artist’s impression.
Re: Broad Street Mall
Ah! That, I admit, was a rather ambiguous statement - I actually meant St.Marys Butts/the Minster Church and it’s immediate vicinity - and certainly not the existing Broad St Mall!

There's no such thing as a free lunch
Re: Broad Street Mall
In the plans that area is for service vehicles only
Re: Broad Street Mall
That does make rather more sense!

Whilst I am a moderator, I am NOT posting in that capacity unless I explicitly say so
Re: Broad Street Mall
The minster is both a Grade I listed building and in a Conservation Area. The boundary of the conservation area runs down the eastern side of St Mary's Butts, then westwards behind the electricity substation, then south to the west of The Sun to Castle Street. It excludes the area covered by the 1960s/70s development (not surprising, given that conservation areas as a concept have only existed since 1967, when that area was a pile of rubble).
The proposed buildings above the Broad Street Mall should still be subject to listed building consent as they "affect the setting of a listed building", but tall buildings in a town centre context are not in themselves likely to result in refusal - it will only be an issue if they obscure an existing view, for example. If you look at the application for the hotel it explains why the materials have been chosen to be in keeping with the historic buildings nearby.
Re: Broad Street Mall
Thanks for that cnb... I’m not sure which is the Hotel, difficult to tell as they all look like bland sugar boxes rather than blending with anything historic nearby 

There's no such thing as a free lunch
Re: Broad Street Mall
Afaik the hotel site would be the present Eva's site
Re: Broad Street Mall
I remember the Butts Centre when it was built, then renamed Broad Street Mall
Its been re-vamped a few times, but so has the Oracle recently
I still go in there any time we visit town - more so than the Oracle as that does seem to be a money grabbing pit of shops etc
So to develop it like this seems a good idea
Its been re-vamped a few times, but so has the Oracle recently
I still go in there any time we visit town - more so than the Oracle as that does seem to be a money grabbing pit of shops etc
So to develop it like this seems a good idea
Oldman........
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to hide the bodies of the people I had to kill because they annoyed me........................
I hug everybody –
It’s not affection, I’m just measuring up how big a hole I need to dig for the body!
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to hide the bodies of the people I had to kill because they annoyed me........................
I hug everybody –
It’s not affection, I’m just measuring up how big a hole I need to dig for the body!
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Re: Broad Street Mall
Just revisited the plans (likely to be signed off, Wednesday) on the RBC website and everything was going swimmingly until I realised the surface - under foot - is likely to comprise red brick paviors along Dusseldorf Way.
This dismal (dare I say monstrous) configuration seems to be an obsession with towns (including Reading) across this country. It's the 21 century FFS - not the 1980's and 90's
This dismal (dare I say monstrous) configuration seems to be an obsession with towns (including Reading) across this country. It's the 21 century FFS - not the 1980's and 90's
'Let's Go Brandon'
Re: Broad Street Mall
Just heard the summary of the whole Broad Street Mall development, by the owners Moorgarth, who just spoke at the Reading Borough Council Planning Committee meeting. Here are the next developments coming up and their approximate timeframes:
Community cinema construction commenced.
Premier Inn hotel and restaurant development on Hosier Street beginning construction within 2 months.
Foodhall, located in the former Poundland store, operational by June to July 2020.
Residential elements (proposed tower blocks) are currently being discussed at the meeting.
Community cinema construction commenced.
Premier Inn hotel and restaurant development on Hosier Street beginning construction within 2 months.
Foodhall, located in the former Poundland store, operational by June to July 2020.
Residential elements (proposed tower blocks) are currently being discussed at the meeting.
Re: Broad Street Mall
Thanks for the updates, Ash. Good news about the Foodhall, I was wondering if that was still coming.
Re: Broad Street Mall
What is meant by a foodhalll? Is it l8ke the old place upstairs, which,certainly in its later days, was not used much.
- Voiceoftreason?
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Re: Broad Street Mall
Spud-u-like returns!
Disclaimer: it wasn't me as wot said it, it was my iPad spellchecker!
Re: Broad Street Mall
I'm hoping it'll be a place for smaller, independent traders to set up selling food that is a bit different to what is available elsewhere. A bit like a semi-permanent place for some of the vendors that sell under the 'Blue Collar Street Food' or the 'Chow Friday food market' umbrella or for places like 'Vegivores' in Caversham to sell some of their food. Perhaps like the Boxpark venues in London (list of food sellers here - https://www.boxpark.co.uk/croydon/food-and-drink/).
It's a bit off the beaten track though, so it'll be interesting to see which vendors appear and if they can market it well enough to pull people off the main drag to visit.
Re: Broad Street Mall
This piece in GetReading begs the question as to why more flats are needed - or being given planning approval, when RBC are saying “there’s a glut”
https://www.getreading.co.uk/news/prope ... d-17869356
https://www.getreading.co.uk/news/prope ... d-17869356
There's no such thing as a free lunch
Re: Broad Street Mall
The housing market pretty much stopped for the last couple of years, not just in Reading but across the country, with the blame generally pinned on 'Brexit-related uncertainty'. Recent reports are that houses have started to sell again now that the possible Brexit outcomes have been reduced to a fairly narrow range. If that's the case the glut will be gone in a couple of years,piwacket wrote: ↑06 Mar 2020 20:13 This piece in GetReading begs the question as to why more flats are needed - or being given planning approval, when RBC are saying “there’s a glut”
https://www.getreading.co.uk/news/prope ... d-17869356
Re: Broad Street Mall
Yes, I know the housing market was down, but has now picked up considerably and some of the houses they mention have been empty - not necessarily for sale - for some time. My stepson is an Estate Agent in Reading and has said on several occasions, that many of the flats available in Reading, on the market when people want to move on, just don’t fetch the prices asked and even new ones, in his opinion, are overpriced from day one. Of course that probably doesn’t include those that are marked as Social Housing.cnb wrote: ↑06 Mar 2020 22:01 The housing market pretty much stopped for the last couple of years, not just in Reading but across the country, with the blame generally pinned on 'Brexit-related uncertainty'. Recent reports are that houses have started to sell again now that the possible Brexit outcomes have been reduced to a fairly narrow range. If that's the case the glut will be gone in a couple of years,
I’m not quite sure how that works... when an area is developed and some are reserved for Social Housing, but the others are for sale- who tops up the difference? Or are those of lesser quality?
There's no such thing as a free lunch
Re: Broad Street Mall
They are of "lower quality"
Some are smaller, with fewer rooms, less glamorous facilities. Some even have "poor doors" where the residents enter around the back. Some luxury flats have nice foyers or pools, from which the social tenants are banned (fair enough)
Some social housing is built on a different site entirely
Some are smaller, with fewer rooms, less glamorous facilities. Some even have "poor doors" where the residents enter around the back. Some luxury flats have nice foyers or pools, from which the social tenants are banned (fair enough)
Some social housing is built on a different site entirely
- Voiceoftreason?
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Re: Broad Street Mall
In many cases, if not most, in order to gain planning permission I think you have to have a certain percentage of ‘affordable’ units in any built IIRC. I believe there was a big hoo ha about social housing/affordable home residents in some posh development having to enter by the ‘tradesmans’ door wasn’t there?
Disclaimer: it wasn't me as wot said it, it was my iPad spellchecker!