Town council to discuss more homes for Newbury

Plans for 61 flats in former town centre council offices to be scrutinised tonight (Monday)

TWO blocks of flats overlooking Newbury town centre could soon be on the horizon.

Developers Mapeley Delta Aquistias have lodged plans with West Berkshire Council to demolish office buildings at Northcroft House and Avonbank House, West Street, Newbury, and put one three-storey block and one three/four storey block up in place, comprising 61 apartments.

Newbury Town Council's planning and highways committee is scheduled to give their opinion on the plans at a meeting tonight (Monday), and the decision on whether to approve or reject the plans will be made by West Berkshire Council at a later date.

The redevelopment of the site would include 45 car parking spaces, landscaping works, amenity areas, and vehicle access.

The plans are a resubmission of a proposed development which was refused by delegated decision by West Berkshire Council's head of planning and countryside, Gary Lugg, in December 2010.

Mr Lugg said the developers failed to offer mitigation costs in the form of an S106 planning obligation, and the plans ran contrary to council policy on the loss of an employment site in a highly accessible location.

Planning officers also said no flood test had been carried out, despite the area being a flood zone.

The developers have said that there is little chance of retention of commercial development on the site due to market conditions, and have not involved the local community or West Berkshire Council at this stage of their application.

The application submitted to the council states that the plans are of “similar scale to Northbank House” although the documentation does not make clear how high the blocks would be, and Meld Architects, who submitted the designs, were unavailable for comment at the time this newspaper went to press.

No date has been set for a decision by the council as yet.