Heritage nominations for historical West Berkshire assets

Seven historical sites put forward for local listing

SEVEN sites of local historical importance in West Berkshire have been nominated for local listing.

The heritage assets are the Church & Childs Almshouses, Newtown Road, Newbury; the former Newbury Carnegie Library in Cheap Street, Newbury; the Falkland Memorial at Wash Common; the former Thatcham police station in Chapel Street; the war memorials at Bradfield and Brightwalton; and a milestone at Chieveley.

A local list is a list of heritage assets within the district, considered by the public, and council, as having special local architectural, archaeological or historic interest.

They are not, however, statutory listed.

The sites were nominated by the West Berkshire Heritage Forum’s selection panel, which comprised four independent qualified heritage experts who are not members or officers of West Berkshire Council or members of the Heritage Forum.

They were Christine Lalley, Dr Brian O’Callaghan, Andrew Plumridge, and Henry Russell.

Each candidate for local listing was presented to the panel by an assessor, and the owner was invited to attend and to make representations.

The recommendations will now go to the West Berkshire head of planning, who will make the final decision to list in each case.

On approval, the listing details will form part of the council’s Historic Environment Record and be described on the council’s web site.

Sites already listed included Crookham House; the Coxedd And Pearces Almshouses in Enborne Road, Newbury; Newbury War Memorial; the Village Farm Barn, Aldermaston; and Milestone 2, Oxford Road, Donnington.

Chairman of the Heritage Forum, Anthony Pick, said: “Local listing identifies our valuable local heritage assets and ensures that their unique qualities are documented for future plans, without imposing new or onerous obligations on the owner.

“I am very grateful to the assessors who prepared the cases, to the panel members, and to the Forum secretary Sue Ellis who planned and prepared the panel meeting.”