Green light for Travis Perkins site redevelopment

West Berkshire Council’s Western Area Planning Committee gave a unanimous thumbs up for the plans by David Wilson Homes to revamp the former Travis Perkins site in Mill Lane by building a mixture of housing and offices on it.
However, the application still has one hurdle to overcome – it has been referred to the council’s district planning committee for final approval.
The application was brought before the planning committee because five letters of objection were submitted by members of the public for reasons including an increase in traffic, insufficient parking space and noise generation.
David Wilson Homes wants to build 37 dwellings and two office blocks of two and three storeys.
The buildings will be laid out in eight blocks and two of the housing blocks – 11 out of the 37 homes - will be affordable housing.
It is estimated that the development will bring 125 jobs to the area – 18 people were employed at Travis Perkins.
On reluctantly proposing that the application be accepted, ward member Roger Hunneman (Lib Dem, Victoria), said: “This is a difficult one because I really wanted to see 100 per cent housing.
"I don’t think the application is right in that regard but what is being presented is a reasonable compromise.”
Newbury Town Council had mixed reaction to the application – it supported the additional housing but strongly objected to the offices as it said they were not needed in the town.
For more reaction to the application, see tomorrow's Newbury Weekly News.