Newbury: Grainger gains consent for urban village
Grainger has gained consent for a build-to-rent redevelopment of the 2.2ha site at Market Street, Newbury as an urban village and improved gateway from the railway station into the town.
The approved scheme, a joint-partnership development between Grainger, West Berkshire Council and Network Rail, will comprise 232 new homes, 219 of which will be available for private rent and 13 for shared ownership. Grainger will directly own and manage the homes for the long term.
The scheme will provide a mix of apartments, duplexes and houses alongside 8,780 sq ft of new commercial space to be marketed to local businesses. In addition, it will include a redesigned station forecourt and improved pedestrian links between the station and the town centre.
Further improvements worth £8 million will be a new multi-storey car park for station users and council employees, which will be for public use at weekends; and a brand-new bus station.
Grainger anticipates that construction will begin in winter 2017 following the appointment of a contractor, and that the first homes will be completed in spring 2019.
Nick Jopling, executive property director at Grainger, said: “We are delighted that the council has granted planning permission for this exciting build-to-rent scheme and new gateway to Newbury. Hundreds of local people have contributed to the shaping of these plans and we thank them for their time and valuable input.”
Nick Carter, chief executive of West Berkshire Council, said: “The Market Street development will ultimately bring significant economic benefits to the whole town. It forms a key part of West Berkshire Council’s Newbury Vision 2025 which has already delivered projects such as Parkway, the cinema, and the popular pedestrian areas in the town centre.
“Newbury is already one of the best-connected towns in the south. The Network Rail electrification project will transform the current service from London, delivering faster, greener and quieter travel with extra capacity - and potentially more visitors to the town.”
Phil Brown, senior commercial scheme sponsor at Network Rail, said: “The work will create a new front door for Newbury for passengers arriving by train, and should create a much more attractive setting for the station. Schemes such as this play an important role in upgrading the rail network.”
Credit: CoStar
