Old Town: Application goes in for mews house scheme to replace Kennet Shopping centre
A planning application for the new ‘Old Town’ to replace Newbury’s Kennet Shopping centre has been submitted to West Berkshire Council.
It’s gone in at the same time that an appeal against the council’s decision to block a previous, multi-storey proposal called ‘Eagle Quarter’ for hundreds of buy to rent flats in multi-storey blocks, with a shopping street, has been lodged.
The developer, Lochailort, had faced severe criticism for this scheme, from conservationists keen that Newbury did not lose its character or end up looking like Reading or Basingstoke.
“We have appealed this scheme as we believe that this scheme has merit, it was ‘strongly recommended’ for approval as it conformed to both centre Government and West Berkshire’s adopted planning policies,” said Lochailort director Hugo Haig.
“It is a completely different scheme but none the less a considerable amount of the people who I have met have said that they liked it and felt some regret that it was not going forward.”
Meanwhile, he has gone on the charm offensive with another plan, which had been brewing for the last two years, which gets rid of the shops at the site, and turns the area into streets with mews houses instead.
“We were thrilled with the tremendously positive and enthusiastic response we have received from everyone who has visited the Old Town exhibition shop,” he said.
“The members of the public were particularly excited and pleased with our proposals.”
He added that one of the elements that was discussed in some detail was night-time security.
“This will be secured with self-closing and opening electronic pedestrian gates, as well as a significant number of well-placed, 24-hour monitored CCTV cameras, as well as regular night-time security patrols.
“Please forgive me as we don’t want it to sound like it is a problem, it is just so we deter and avoid issues, given we are in the town centre and about various pubs and leisure facilities.”
The application was submitted today (Wednesday) so no date for the council to discuss it has yet been set.
