Former magistrates court to become homes

THE redundant magistrates’ court in Newbury is set to be demolished to make way for 19 new homes.

The old court, on Mill Lane, has been closed since July 2016.

It was previously owned by the Ministry of Justice, but was transferred to Homes England, a non-departmental public body for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, last summer. 

The body, which works to facilitate delivery of new homes where they are most needed, owns public land which it sells to builders and developers to help meet local priorities.

A disposal strategy has been put in place for clearance work to take place and Homes England is expected to submit a planning application to West Berkshire Council for the proposed construction of 19 dwellings.

Once planning permission is in place, the site would be then be disposed of to a developer, which it is anticipated would be no later than October 2019.

A statement from Homes England read: “Homes England is responsible for disposing of public sector sites such as Newbury Magistrates Court, adding value to surplus public sector sites with development potential and speeding up their sale to help increase the supply of housing and support economic growth.

“Homes England will continue to work closely with West Berkshire council and our local partners to achieve our development proposals for this site.”