Plans to develop Newbury's "northern gateway" approved

West Berkshire Council give go ahead for 35 homes and 1,700sq m of offices

PLANS to develop 1,700 sq m of office space and 35 new flats on a Newbury industrial estate have been given the green light by West Berkshire Council.

The development on London Road aims to regenerate “the northern gateway” into the town after councillors approved the application at a meeting of the District Planning Committee on Wednesday.

The site, which lies on the corner of London Road and the A339, opposite the Robin Hood roundabout, will form part of the ongoing regeneration of the London Road Industrial Estate (LRIE) along with the adjacent Merchants Court development and the forthcoming Faraday Plaza development.

The existing structure will be demolished.

Along with the office space, which could generate around 85 jobs, the four-storey building will include a mix of one, two and three-bed flats, of which 10 will be affordable, with 35 car parking spaces for residents, 31 spaces for the offices and a further 18 for mixed use.

Councillors gave unanimous backing to the plans despite the LRIE being a “Protected Employment Area” meaning the council will refuse the development of none-employment generating developments, except in exceptional circumstances.

However officers argued that the plans should be approved as the overall office space will increase by 1,000 sq m as a result of the development.

A number of conditions were applied to the development including the removal of permitted development rights along with the stipulation that the office space must be ready before 20 of the 25 open market homes are completed.

For the full story see next week's Newbury Weekly News.