Newbury town redevelopment decision delayed

The can has been kicked down the road on the  decision on whether Newbury town centre gets redeveloped.

The West Berkshire Council committee given the authority to decide if the Kennet Shopping centre gets turned into an eight-storey flats development – has passed the buck to another committee, which will meet in November.

After nearly four hours of discussion, presentations for and against the move, the western area planning committee last night (Thursday) decided it could not decide on whether the Lochailort proposal for 427 build-to-rent flats, to include a new street through the current Kennet Shopping centre, should happen – or not.

The council planning team recommended the proposals which would essentially transform the look of Newbury town centre should be approved.

On balance, they said the latest in a string of proposals that have been kicked back should be approved, based on the fact that the current Kennet Shopping centre, built in the late 1970s, was now out of date and ‘failing’, and that it would result in economic improvement for the town.

But the plans, which would see a selection of high-rise flats built purely for rental, would mean the ‘dwarfing’ of the character of Newbury. There have been 92 objections to the scheme.

Dr David Peacock of conservationist The Newbury Society has consistently claimed that the  long-term impact to Newbury’s appearance, heritage and character will be irreversibly damaged.

“The scale and mass are out of proportion to the town centre. 1,384 signatures say this is too high and overbearing for Newbury,” he said, referring to signatures on petition raised against the scheme.

The committee also heard that it will take six months to demolish  the existing Kennet Shopping centre and three years to construct in the centre of the town.

“The developers have supplied endless detail on the prose but nothing on construction,” said Newbury Central councillor Martin Colston.

“How bad will it be? We want to see development, but not at the expense of Newbury town centre.”

His colleague in Newbury Central, Louise Sturgess, said there was  a clear view against this from the local community as it was “grossly out of sync with Newbury”.

“This is not a matter of taste but of principle,” she said.

“It will dominate and dwarf the listed buildings around it. Once harm is done, it will be irreversible.”

The district planning committee will now be handed the decision baton in November.

The committee heard that build-to-rent (BtR) is a positive way of meeting a growing demand within the UK’s housing market.

It also heard that the scheme was not financially viable to provide affordable housing, but that BtR would go some way to alleviate housing pressure in the area with the selection of studio and small flats proposed.

They are often able to be developed faster, as they can be absorbed into the market more quickly.

In addition, the method of utilising high-density housing, economies of scale, and efficient use of space can offer more, high-quality dwellings.

They also offer increased housing choice for people priced out of the open market (referred to as the mobile intermediate market; people who are not eligible for social housing yet cannot afford to own their own home).

The scheme is made up of nine residential blocks ranging from two to eight storeys in height and the development will cost £158m to build.

Underneath the flats will sit a walkway and new shopping area with business units, and the Vue cinema also gets an upgrade.

The developer stands to make around £14m from the proposal.

If the plans are approved at district planning level, there will also be significant conditions attached to everything from the detailed design of shop fronts to the look and feel of the planned open spaces.

Additionally, there will be nearly £1m in fees levied specifically for cycle ways, signage improvements in Newbury, and cash towards a health centre.