Flats plan for historic Newbury building denied

West Berkshire Council has refused Ashton Properties permission to turn the former listed building at 45 Greenham Road – at the junction of Racecourse Road and Pyle Hill – into three apartments and three, three-bedroom homes, as no offer of mitigation was submitted.
It is another wrangle in the history of a drawn-out struggle between developers and councillors and local residents in recent years, after previous applications by the developer to demolish it were seen off.
The Newbury Society had criticised the developers last year, but the conservation group has given its blessing to the new plans, which it said will retain the building “at a key entrance to Newbury.”
Newbury Town Council and Greenham Parish Council, previously critical of the plans for the building, had also relented, but with no S106 offer made by the developer, the West Berkshire Council head of planning Gary Lugg said: “Whilst the rest of the proposal does meets current development plan policies and advice contained within the NPPF, promoting development of brownfield sites, preserving and enhancing heritage assets and protecting amenity, the scheme fails to provide an appropriate scheme to mitigate against its impact on infrastructure, services and amenities.”
The building, which is located within the Stroud Green conservation area and is mentioned in Newbury Town Council's draft appraisal report into historic character buildings, was de-listed by English Heritage in 2005 in a move that caused outrage among local people, who claimed they should have been consulted.