Newbury link road gets approval – despite opposition

A new link road in Newbury has been approved by West Berkshire Council.

But there will be no red lights on the road to control traffic – as costs for traffic lights spiralled from £250,000 in the original plan to £1m.

The nod for the road connecting Hectors Way to Kings Road through the new Sterling Estate development has some conditions attached – including investigations for more zebra crossings, with one across to Sainsbury’s.

Locals lobbied the council saying the loss of parking bays was ‘unacceptable’.

Resident Nicola Blythe told the meeting that the noise from the road would have an impact on them, and that no consultation had taken place with them about loss of parking places, resulting in a loss of amenity to them.

“Are all residents equal when it comes to a good standard of amenity or are some more equal than others?” she asked.

So councillors on the western area planning committee wedged in a requirement that the council and the developer address the issue as part of the application.

Another condition was to re consider how Kings Road might be turned into a cul de sac.

The committee, which met last night (Wednesday), heard that the application for the link road was first submitted in 2015, and was described as ‘a difficult and complex application’.

The plans are part of the new 167-apartment Sterling housing development.

This will see a new mini roundabout created at the entrance to the site in Kings Road with the stretch of road between the roundabout and the junction of Boundary Road turned into a two-way street.

Adrian Abbs (Lib Dem, Wash Common) was the only councillor to vote against the scheme, describing the it as ‘an appalling application for the residents’.

“I would have hoped that someone would have come along and offered double glazing at least,” he said. “We talk about putting zebra crossings here and there, but we have to provide safe passage across this. I would prefer to defer for more discussion.”

Acoustic barrier placement is to have more thought.