Reports on likely cause to Victoria Park cracks now published

Follows a Freedom of Information appeal by Apolitical candidate and Newbury resident Mark Knight

Newbury Town Council has been forced to publish damning reports that point to building works by Parkway contractor Costain as the “most likely explanation” for subsidence to Victoria Park.

The reports into the cause of the subsidence, which left playing fields and sports courts unusable, boundary walls collapsing and nearby properties damaged, have been published following a lengthy Freedom of Information appeal by Newbury resident Mark Knight.

Five years after the reports were commissioned by Newbury Town Council to investigate the causes of the damage to the park, it has been forced to release the documents into the public domain following an appeal upheld by the Information Tribunal.

The hydrogeological report concludes that the extent of dewatering of the site, along with inadequate mitigation measures “make this the most likely explanation for the majority of lowering of groundwater levels and the ground disturbance seen within Victoria Park during 2010”.

Mr Knight, a candidate for the Apolitical party in Northcroft ward in the forthcoming Newbury Town Council elections, brought the case for appeal in late 2013, after the council refused to publish the reports on the grounds that it could jeopardise ongoing negotiations with Parkway contractor Costain.

For the full story, including snippets from the tribunal's report and a timeline of the legal battle between Newbury Town Council and Costain to date, pick up a copy of this week's Newbury Weekly News.