I think most people are looking forward to the opening, and what it can potentially bring to the town. The ill feeling on here is more to do with the process that led to it's construction, and the visual effect it will create. No matter what anyone says, it is going to open this year. We have to support it now, otherwise we will be left with an empty shopping centre, which is potentially an even bigger eyesore!!!
Doesn't mean it was the right thing at the right time though. We need to learn lessons from our planning strategy (i.e. make it up as we go) and ensure that any growth in future is responsible, and that the infrastructure to go with it is provider by the developer.
Seriously, you hope it fails? You want to walk through Parkway and it be full of empty shops? A development that, not only is large, but also be of no ecomonic benefit? What kind of logic is that? Is it just so that you can say that you were right?
There have been many attempts to regenerate Park Way over the years.
There was a good scheme in the year 2000, but that failed when Camp Hopsons pulled out of negotiations.
Just after that the leader of West Berkshire Council Mr Gerald Vernon Jackson (a previous Mayor of Newbury) persuaded a development company called Blue to buy up land in Park Way with a view to a development. They bought virtually all of the land apart from that owned by West Berkshire Council and devised the following scheme:
Not quite as ambitious as the current carbuncle, but it was expandable and would have been completed in 2005. It also retained the car parking element in Park Way.
This scheme did not fit with Visionaries and so it was rejected (Mr Vernon Jackson moved to Portsmouth).
We have then seen years of negotiations and upheaval, until we reach the present day with the current scheme due to open in the autumn. Although if the John Lewis store goes ahead, it won't be fully open until spring 2012. As I understand it at the moment, John Lewis have still not signed up, although their planning permission has been approved.
I certainly don't want it to fail, but the construction of Park Way has been detrimental to trade in Newbury over the last 2 to 3 years.
So are you saying you were in favour of the 'Blue' scheme, but not the SLI one?
It wasn't perfect, but it would have provided the larger units to encourage more/different stores into town. It wouldn't have drained Victoria Park and it was expandable. Also it would have been trading before Christmas 2005. In other words we have lost 6 years during which time shoppers have drifted away to other towns (This of course will be disputed by the visionaries).
Reading the PDF, the problem of shoppers going elsewhere was already rife. The size of the units - I'm sure SLI is building whatever size will suit them best.
Are you saying the Council vetoed the plans for Blues plans?
Seriously, you hope it fails? You want to walk through Parkway and it be full of empty shops? A development that, not only is large, but also be of no ecomonic benefit? What kind of logic is that? Is it just so that you can say that you were right?
It is nothing to do with being right. Being successful or not doesn't change my opinion of the current development. Seeing it fail might mean a reduced likelihood other such schemes being started.
I think the schemes like the cinema and Parkway are obscene and makes a joke of other planning applications that have been denied for reasons of scale and aesthetics.
Just after that the leader of West Berkshire Council Mr Gerald Vernon Jackson (a previous Mayor of Newbury) persuaded a development company called Blue to buy up land in Park Way with a view to a development. They bought virtually all of the land apart from that owned by West Berkshire Council and devised the following scheme:
Looking at page four of the artists impression shows how dated that design looks already though. The clock tower section looks more like the 90's Priory Meadow shopping centre where I used to live.
I do tend to agree with people that the current design is too big. I often feel glad that I don't live in one of the houses along by the nursery. There wasn't much of a view before, but now there is a large light-blocking shopping centre. That said though, I do think that there is little to be gained in building a shopping centre that isn't as good as those in other nearby towns. Reading and Basingstoke are still bigger, of course, but Parkway will be big enough for people to spend a day here, so it's size does make it a real alternative. It's no good building a shopping centre (always a devisive subject) and have potential shoppers still decide to go elsewhere because it's not a big enough draw.
I think that the size issue could be resolved by removing the need to build houses there as well. That would remove the tower block, and the need for it to be more than a single storey high, with the possible exception of the main anchor stores.
I think that the size issue could be resolved by removing the need to build houses there as well. That would remove the tower block, and the need for it to be more than a single storey high, with the possible exception of the main anchor stores.
I don't think there was any requirement to build housing into the scheme - it was just a way of increasing the potential value of the build. As usual it's all about the money.
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