Newbury News Ltd. Print-Digital-Social
Newbury News Ltd. Print-Digital-Social
Wed, 09 Mar 2016
william.walker@newburynews.co.uk
Detailed plans for a high-rise “urban village” in central Newbury have finally been submitted.
Discussions over the major redevelopment on land between Newbury rail station and Market Street date back to 2013 when West Berkshire Council gave away its land, valued then at £3.9m, to developers for nothing, as part of its overarching vision for the town.
Developers Grainger now plan to transform the 5.5 acre site into a 232-home development with some residential blocks as high as seven storeys.
After holding several public consultation events last year, Grainger has now put together a detailed planning application for West Berkshire Council to consider.
As part of the latest proposals more than £8m of extra improvements have been promised, in the form of additional car parking at Newbury train station, a multi-storey car park and a new station plaza.
The development will also include 10,200 sq ft of commercial space and developers will pay a community infrastructure levy amounting to roughly £1.53m.
For the full story pick up a copy of this week's Newbury Weekly News.
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PhilW
10/03/2016 - 10:10
One of only two echo circles in the UK will be destroyed - perhaps not the greatest architectural disaster ever, but it merits a mention - and a replacement!
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jonnynewbury
10/03/2016 - 08:08
With a national housing crisis, a packed station car park and people asking where the station is the whole time, development of this site in this way is right, the most socially responsible thing to do and we are lucky these plans have been through a huge consultation process with the community. They respect the heritage of Newbury without simply copying it and look nothing like what Basingstoke, Reading and Swindon have to put up with. WBC; whilst I am not always your biggest fan, where credit is due I am happy to say well done.
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PhilW
10/03/2016 - 10:10
'packed station car park' - so why does the new car park offer fewer parking spaces than are available at present? Where will the residents park? Or are we back in that dreamland of residents without cars?
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Custos planeta
09/03/2016 - 22:10
Have a look at pictures of the old Regal cinema and its' progressive transformation to what is there now Lorenzo Ingram....There are some serious issues with West Berkshire Councillors and their relationship with developers....giving away land for nowt...paying for surveys that developers should be supplying themselves....but they're sorry there's so many cuts to services.
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PhilW
10/03/2016 - 10:10
The old Regal cinema was an eyesore that should never have been allowed - planning issues are not a new thing!
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Oldmoaner
09/03/2016 - 20:08
WBC must rank highest in having the most immoral councillors and executives in the UK. At their vision conference the revealed the following. Developers given between £5 and £10 million pounds worth of public land. Developers intend to build residential accommodation owned by themselves which will be wholly rented out at market rates. They say this will be the gateway to Newbury ( or the backside ), from one spot in the courtyard you can see the town hall clock. This once again will have less open space per person than your average prison. I suggest that this council realises the error of its ways and designs a real gateway to the town from the railway station with a bus station. This is our only chance to enhance the town before it is ruined by greedy developers and an unscrupulous council. . Our councillors keep quoting their ambition to preserve Newbury’s history have you ever seen a seven story cattle market.
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PhilW
10/03/2016 - 10:10
The Council remains obsessed by housing targets - meaning high density developments like this are far more attractive than they might have been. Newbury is growing up - towards the sky, the hope must be that this form of high density lasts better than the 1960s tower blocks.
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