Quoted from Confused of Newbury

In business, I thought it was normal practice to go out to tender for work, especially in the case of major expenditure.  I might have missed something before this report but did any other architects get the chance to put their ideas forward?

No.

Quoted from Confused of Newbury

Were there any other designs from the architect that designed this one?

A concept in 2005, about half as big again as this one and far more prominently placed within the park - protests to date have had some effect.

Quoted from brian

Well, I think they have actually done the things that you have said are in 2.4.2. There has been a proposal published months ago and in comparing what was suggested then and what is on offer now, apart from the design of the pavilion, it pretty much lines up with what is in the library today.
The exhibition is fairly clear on what is proposed, the public have the opportunity to comment on the designs and according to the man on the stand, the planning application will not be submitted until all the interested parties views are known. The theme today seemed to me to be around the fact that it is purely a concept at this stage. (I was told this twice by two different people)

It may be conceptual but it is, reportedly, going to be the subject of a planning application in the new year - so a fairly advanced concept.

Quoted from brian

It doesn't make it right in my view as I believe the whole park thing is oversized and will almost certainly cost a fortune to run with nothing, apart from a little cafe, to generate any income. I find it a little difficult to understand where the six million or so is coming from. The answer I got was the Town Council, WBC, The Greenham trust and the Pavilion partners. The latter group seem to be an anonymous group of "local traders". I asked was that in fact the Town Centre Partnership and after a bit of shuffling of feet, was told 'Yes'. I asked where a few shopkeepers would find that sort of money for a project that wasn't going to provide them with one jot of income, I was told that grants are available.  Goodie I thought.

New Greenham Trust (NGT) will put up some money  - which will be used to generate more cash from grant bodies.  The running costs are much more problemmatic as NGT will not fund it entirely (more like the a diversion of the funds they send New Greenham Arts' way each year). WBC will stump up some, probably the sort of money they currently spend running the Waterside.  

This will probably leave a large shortfall which some creative accountant will imaginatively state will be the profit from the cafe, facilities hire etc and everything will go ahead.  Just like Shaw House - they are still trying to work out why they are not getting the thousands more visitors each year who were supposed to plug the gap in their budget.

We have had a suggestion to solve the lack of car parking for the new pavilion:

Quoted from Administrator

We have had a suggestion to solve the lack of car parking for the new pavilion

It does have the look of a car park doesn't it.  All they need is an access road from the A339.

Quoted from blackdog

Just like Shaw House - they are still trying to work out why they are not getting the thousands more visitors each year who were supposed to plug the gap in their budget.

Fairly simple, it's vrtually an empty house so it certainly won't attract the tourist trade. Suggest they cut their losses, move the Newbury museum there, call it the West Berks Vision Museum, find a new use for the cloth hall posssibly in place of the longboat/workbarge museum that is proposed for the wharf. (Bit off topic I know)

Quoted from brian

Fairly simple, it's vrtually an empty house so it certainly won't attract the tourist trade. Suggest they cut their losses, move the Newbury museum there, call it the West Berks Vision Museum, find a new use for the cloth hall posssibly in place of the longboat/workbarge museum that is proposed for the wharf. (Bit off topic I know)

I'm told the new waterways museum on the Wharf has already gone - even though it is on the old 2005 drawings they are still using as a backdrop to the current pavillion 'consultation'.

I would suggest a waterways function for the granary - cafe, museum and tourist information.  The Cloth Hall could become a small museum of Newbury.  Then a West Berks museum service and museum in Shaw House.  Won't happen, no one in charge is prepared to consider it. They would rather shoehorn a West Berks museum into the current museum space after demolishing the 1930s bit in order to provide local architects with a fancy bit to put in their portfolio. I would put a lift into the 1930s bit to give access to the upper floors of the Cloth Hall and Granary and create a local history centre combining the museum and library resources in a single space. It would free up a bit of space in the library for more PCs (seems to be the main function of a library these days).

To be fair the Shaw House issue is partly one of finance, the rooms that would need to be used for a museum are currently let as meeting spaces - money that would not be recouped from a museum.

Quoted from blackdog

No.

A concept in 2005, about half as big again as this one and far more prominently placed within the park - protests to date have had some effect.

That would suggest further protests could halve the size again. It's hard to tell from the pretty pictures but does anyone know the actual size of the building, square footage that sort of thing? Sorry if this has been discussed already but Im not up to speed on the detail.

Quoted from Confused of Newbury

That would suggest further protests could halve the size again. It's hard to tell from the pretty pictures but does anyone know the actual size of the building, square footage that sort of thing? Sorry if this has been discussed already but Im not up to speed on the detail.

There's a lot about it on the West Berks website (the information panels shown at the library). The pavillion design is 22,000 sq ft in area, 8m high (the latter I was told by the architect, not sure if its in the information panels).

A really ugly building. I think it will look tatty in quite a short time. Looks like Sainsbury,s car park design. Did Sutton Griffin do that as well? Some confusion as to the access to the building for equipment (musicians) and delivery of goods (cafe) arts etc. Seem to get the impression that all would have park in Park way and carry everything over the new bridge or park in Faraday Road. Also Pamela Bale did say access was going to be from under the road bridge, but the canal is there. Do you think they are going to knock NWN down and create a tunnel?  What about disable access? What about access for the elderly that cannot walk over bridges and through parks? These questions need to be answered else it will be just a facility for the able bodied and the young, and I am not a old codger as I heard one of the advisors at the display in the library call the Newbury public more advanced in years.  

Quoted from polo

A really ugly building. I think it will look tatty in quite a short time. Looks like Sainsbury,s car park design. Did Sutton Griffin do that as well? Some confusion as to the access to the building for equipment (musicians) and delivery of goods (cafe) arts etc. Seem to get the impression that all would have park in Park way and carry everything over the new bridge or park in Faraday Road. Also Pamela Bale did say access was going to be from under the road bridge, but the canal is there. Do you think they are going to knock NWN down and create a tunnel?  What about disable access? What about access for the elderly that cannot walk over bridges and through parks? These questions need to be answered else it will be just a facility for the able bodied and the young, and I am not a old codger as I heard one of the advisors at the display in the library call the Newbury public more advanced in years.  

There is already a 'tunnel' under the A339 used by pedestrians and cyclists - an arch of the road bridge. This is the route they expect goods to be delivered on trolley from delievery vehicles.  Its not clear of they plan to extend Faraday Road towards this bridge to shorten the trolley path.

Dont forget the "hotel plan" for faraday road,which is supposed to have an overhead walkway to the shopping/park area.

As someone who suffers from a crhonic illness and loves the arts how can we access it. Any ideas, and I am not an old codger.

Quoted from polo

As someone who suffers from a crhonic illness and loves the arts how can we access it. Any ideas, and I am not an old codger.

If you are unable to walk a few hundred yards from the nearest car parks (Football club, Wharf and Park Way) you will need to use a wheelchair or electric scooter - the new bridge is planned to be a low gradient for ease of use by these means.  

Since they have dropped the idea of opening up the auditorium to an open air audience there is no real reason to site the arts facilities in the park at all. And there never was a good reason to put the youth facilities there.

I know about the access under the A339 as I am a original generation of Newburian unlike some of the outsiders (cons) I met recently(last 48 hours) who can go home 20 miles away and shut the doors.

If you are unable to walk a few hundred yards from the nearest car parks (Football club, Wharf and Park Way) you will need to use a wheelchair or electric scooter - the new bridge is planned to be a low gradient for ease of use by these means.  

Have you ever pushed a wheel chair. How long is the walk way. Vehicle access is required to access the youth facilities and the arts centre for ALL, else certain people are being excluded in this community. Is it a community? We have a lot of money around Newbury but remember COMMUNITY. That is for all to enjoy, contribute, take part in. Young middle age and the elderly. How many of WBC. TCP live in Newbury and within 5 miles to really care. Else it becomes just a artistc statement and an achieb=vement on their cv.