Newbury link road in pipeline as council eyes grant cash

West Berkshire Council’s executive committee is due to approve plans today (Thursday) that will see them enter into an agreement with a developer seeking permission to build 166 homes on Sterling Industrial Estate, Kings Road.
Several applications from developer Nelson Geneva to redevelop the site have been turned down over the density of housing and the lack of a link road in the plan.
Nelson Geneva said that the high costs of decontaminating the site – which the Environment Agency says is one of the most contaminated in Berkshire – and providing the link road through the site made the project unviable without building to a height that the council has said was unacceptable.
However, the council has applied for a share of a grant from Berkshire Local Transport Body, which if approved, will allow Nelson Geneva to redevelop the site for housing and build the link road. Although all six Berkshire authorities have submitted bids, according to feedback received by West Berkshire about the first screening of grant applications, the Kings Road project is well placed to receive the funding.
The proposed road will extend eastwards from Sainsbury’s through Sterling Industrial Estate to the Hambridge Road/Boundary Road junction, providing a bypass for Kings Road and Mill Lane.
Ward member David Allen (Lib Dem, Victoria) said that the road was badly needed to help get traffic from the town centre to the A4 (Hambridge Road junction) and into Thatcham.
He added that the project ticked all the boxes, as long as the issues of affordable housing and the height of the towers could be resolved.
Fellow ward member Roger Hunnemnan (Lib Dem) said that the link road needed to be built as the same time as Sterling was redeveloped or the opportunity would be lost.
District council member for highways and transport Pamela Bale (Con, Pangbourne) was unavailable for comment, however, council spokeswoman Peta Stoddart-Crompton said: “The Kings Road link will provide important journey time improvements in this busy part of Newbury. It will also provide significant environmental improvements for the Kings Road and Mill Lane areas and improve access for HGVs to the Hambridge Road industrial area. It will be used by motorists travelling from the east to the west and vice versa.”
Talking about the proposed agreement with Nelson Geneva, she added: “The council is currently drawing up an agreement and is not concerned about being ‘locked in’ with the developer.”
Last year, plans for traffic lights at the Boundary Road/Hambridge Road junction were shelved until the future of the Sterling site was confirmed.