Second scheme for homes near Vodafone HQ submitted
Plans part of 401 scheme to the north and west of Newbury offices
DETAILED proposals for 179 homes to the north of Vodafone’s Newbury headquarters – part of a wider scheme for 401 homes – have been submitted.
Taylor Wimpey has put in a reserved matters application covering the appearance, landscaping, layout and scale of the development.
Plans for up to 401 homes to the north of Vodafone and west of the A339 were approved in 2017.
The scheme had been rejected by West Berkshire Council, but developer Commercial Estates Group won at appeal owing to delays to the 2,000-home development at Sandleford Park.
The 9.2ha site will be accessed from the existing road serving The Connection, Vodafone’s HQ in Shaw-cum-Donnington.
A new road will come off the northern arm of the roundabout serving Vodafone, which will lead to a new roundabout in the development.
Of the 179 homes, 40 per cent (71) will be affordable, split across one- and two-bedroom apartments and two-, three- and four-bedroom houses.
The 108 open market properties will comprise two-, three-, four- and five-bedroom homes.
The developers said that most of the homes will be two-storey, with some at 2.5-storey where allowed and in more “key vista locations”.
Two three-storey buildings are proposed towards the south.
They add that the site lies within Flood Zone 1 and therefore has a low probability of flooding.
The application has provision for an attenuation basin for surface water retention.
Taylor Wimpey said that the development will meet current building regulations for emission rates in order to reduce annual energy consumption.
Cycle storage will be provided within garages or sheds.
A Green Infrastructure Strategy to create a “connected, multifunctional network of green spaces and corridors” is also provided.
To view and comment on the application, enter 20/00047/RESMAJ into West Berkshire Council’s planning website.
David Wilson Homes submitted a reserved matters application for 222 homes to the west of the A339 in 2018.
However, the council is yet to determine the plans.
The western site comprises approximately 11.96 hectares and 89 of the 222 homes (40 per cent) will be affordable.
The scheme includes a mix of one- to four-bedroom properties, the majority of which will be two storeys in height.
Two play areas are also included.
The site has capacity for a new primary school and community centre, both of which will be subject to separate applications.
When the outline application was approved on appeal, the council withdrew all of its objections and did not submit closing statements to the inquiry.
Jon Allen from CEG said at the time: “The decision confirms that this is a suitable, deliverable and sustainable solution to providing much-needed housing in the area.
“The development is adjacent to one of the largest employers in West Berkshire, providing the chance to live and work in the same area and reducing the need to commute.”
