THIS will replace New Look in Broad St Mall Reading

A company called Funbox Entertainment is gearing up to open units 49, 50 and 52 of the mall which were previously occupied by New Look, which closed in 2018.

During the coronavirus pandemic, the space was used as a walk-in vaccination centre, which has also been closed.

Now, Funbox is hoping to bring arcade games and a restaurant for people to enjoy in the mall.

In preparation for opening, the company has applied to host arcade games and sell late night food and alcohol.

Funbox has applied to provide regulated entertainment and sell alcohol from 10am to 10pm Sunday to Tuesday, 10am to 11pm on Wednesdays and 10am to midnight from Thursday to Saturday.

For food and refreshment, it has applied to sell late night food until midnight from Thursday to Sunday.

READ MORE: Details revealed of fresh plan to add 601 flats to Broad Street Mall

The licensing application has been submitted to Reading Borough Council.

Anyone who wishes to comment on the application should email licensing@reading.go.vuk – these are publicly available, with the deadline for responses being Thursday, October 5.

If anyone makes a representation about a licensing application to the council a meeting will be triggered to decide whether it should be approved or not.

Funbox Entertainment is operated by Gravity Active Entertainment, which also owns the Gravity Global brand which runs e-karting, digital darts and virtual reality experiences.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service has contacted Broad Street Mall and Gravity Active Entertainment for a statement.

Reading Chronicle | Town Centre