Search for new Dingley homes resumes after escalating costs

The Newbury branch of the Dingley Family and Specialist Early Years Centre was forced to leave its home at The Racecourse Newbury last year to make way for the 1,500 housing development.
Knowing the development was in the pipeline, it had previously embarked on a five-year fundraising mission and raised £90,000 to see a log-cabin style building erected on land at the Mencap centre Enborne Road.
However, due to the site’s former use as a landfill site, the project has proven more expensive than predicted and the charity has been forced to begin the search for an alternative site.
The charity’s chairman, Dave Ormrod, is now urging local residents to get in touch if they know or own land on which a new centre could be erected.
He said: “We have made the difficult decision to cease work on the West Berkshire Centre building project.
“Escalating costs, primarily due to building on an ex-landfill site, make the project non-viable at the current time.
“We remain committed to providing support to families in the Newbury area. We will continue to deliver these vital services from our current base at the Phoenix Centre whilst we resume the search for a location that better fits our needs.
“We would like to thank the many supporters who have provided expertise and resources on the project to date, particularly West Berkshire Mencap, Donnington New Homes, Osborne Clarke solicitors and the Greenham Common Trust.
“All those who have donated and/or committed funding for the project will be contacted to discuss the next steps.”