Faraday Plaza gets backing of town council

Faraday Developers Limited (FDL) gained planning permission for the mixed-use scheme in Newbury’s Faraday Road in May 2009, but with the application due to expire next month, a renewal application has now been submitted to West Berkshire Council.
It is hoped that the development on 26,544 square metres could create around 600 jobs and could include retail units, a hotel, a restaurant, takeaways, a motor dealership and 160 residential units.
The renewed application was supported by Newbury Town Council’s planning and highways committee, who supported the original application three years ago, at a meeting at the town hall on Monday night.
Julian Swift-Hook (Pyle Hill, Lib Dem) said: “It’s a first class development. It has employment use, residential use and should be the sort of development we should support.”
Conservative member for Clay Hill, Tony Stretton added: “I offered my support at the last time of asking on this application. It’s a fantastic use of the space. It’s a terrible area and I cannot wait to see it developed.”
Director of Faraday Developers Limited, Duncan Crook described the ongoing negotiations to lease the site from West Berkshire Council as a ‘saga’.
Mr Crook, who admitted that he was ‘nervous’ about the application looming expiry on May 20, told the committee that Whitbread has already agreed to build a Premier Inn and the Beefeater Grill as part of the project.
He also revealed: “We’re in negotiations with one office occupier and if we’re successful they will fill between 30,000 and 70,000 square feet.”
The committee unanimously voted to support the application, but commented that it expects a good design.
Councillor Anthony Pick (St Johns, Con) added: “It’s of critical importance that the development is of exceptional quality.”
West Berkshire Council is set to make a decision on the renewed application by July 11.