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NEWS & VIEWS

Oxfordshire gets its first £32m for infrastructure

Around £32 million is to be spent on infrastructure in Oxfordshire in the first round of funding from the county’s £215m growth deal. Ten specific projects will each be given between £200,000 and £3.25m in the first year (2018/19), starting in April. In addition £20m will go to South Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse, Cherwell, West Oxfordshire district and and Oxford city councils for further projects which have not yet been announced. Similar sums will be spent in each of the following four

68-home Cholsey scheme approved on appeal

A refusal by South Oxfordshire District Council (SODC) to allow 68 homes in Cholsey has been overturned on appeal. The Bracknell office of Pegasus Group, representing Bellway Homes, has now gained full planning permission for the homes on a predominantly greenfield site at East End Farm, south east of Wallingford Road. SODC planning officers had recommended the application for approval, based on the lack of a five-year housing land supply. However, councillors supported local action groups and

Done deal: £300m Basingstoke Leisure Park agreement signed

A development agreement has been signed to press ahead with plans for a new £300 million retail and leisure park in Basingstoke.     Work on a planning application can now go ahead after the deal was signed between Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and NewRiver REIT Plc. The redevelopment of Basingstoke Leisure Park will create 500,000 sq ft of new leisure activities along with a 200,000 sq ft designer outlet village.     Discussions had concluded in January. The redevelopment will involve

View from the riverbank: Slough rises up the MIPIM agenda

Matthew Battle offers first hand thoughts from MIPIM in Cannes last week. It was a full house at the Cannes-upon-Thames MIPIM lunch last Wednesday. In fact we even had a couple of gatecrashers - James Swindlehurst, leader of Slough Borough Council and Joe Carter, director of regeneration - who added a little more glamour to the lunchtime proceedings.  Ironically, Slough was one of the hot topics at MIPIM as the town offers what many people at the event were looking for - land to invest in,

Northwood Regional to sharpen The Blade

Owners of The Blade in Reading have announced the landmark building’s first refurbishment. Northwood Regional, which acquired the 110,000 sq ft building last September from Aviva Investors, has announced plans to make a series of improvements inside and out. Occupiers of the building, Reading’s tallest office tower, include Bracket Global, Barton Wilmore and Urban Science and they will now be joined by Northwood itself which is due to relocate to the building later this month from its current

Three pitch in for Maidenhead Golf Club

The shortlist of the final three developers to help build 2,000 homes at Maidenhead Golf Club has been published. The Royal Borough approved an emerging masterplan for the site last October and had announced its initial list of five possible development partners for the132-acre site in January, but has now selected the top three. They are: * Cala Homes in a joint bid with Home Group * Crest Nicholson * Taylor Wimpey The development, which is to the south of Maidenhead station, will include

Carter Jonas to market Silverstone Park

Carter Jonas has been appointed regional letting agent for MEPC’s Silverstone Park alongside national agent, DTRE. The 130-acre estate is central to the Silverstone technology cluster and Carter Jonas believes its experience in the Cambridge-Milton Keynes-Oxford corridor was instrumental in it being awarded the contract. Carter Jonas will have a hot desk with the park’s Innovation Centre so it can handle viewings at short notice. Carter Jonas partner, Jon Silversides, said: “Whilst the appeal

136 homes planned for Green Belt site at Bray

Development and investment business Farmglade Ltd is planning 136 homes on a 9.74-hectare area of Green Belt land at Water Oakley, Windsor Road, Bray. On behalf of the Gerrards Cross-based developer, Nexus Planning has submitted a screening opinion request to the Royal Borough over the need for an Environmental Impact Assessment ahead of a planning application. Farmglade already has permission for 44 detached homes on the Thameside site which is close to Bray Studios, between Maidenhead and

Newbury office destined to become 138 fats

Lipman Developments has applied to convert Emerald House on Newbury Business Park to 138 flats under Permitted Development Rights. Through agent RPS, Lipman wants to convert the 1980s-built office structure into residential. It currently has 131 parking spaces. RPS states in its documentation that if the prior approval request is granted a full planning application will follow for alterations including new windows and cladding. It states: “The applicant is keen on providing high-quality

Berks MPs to boost WRLtH campaign

Two Berkshire MPs are to help press for progress on the Western Rail Link to Heathrow (WRLtH). Slough MP Tan Dhesi and Newbury’s Richard Benyon have joined the WRLtH stakeholder steering group as co-chairs ahead of its final public consultation, starting late spring. Mr Dhesi said: “It is not just the large number of my constituents who work at and use Heathrow that would benefit from a direct link: 20 per cent of the UK population would have access to the airport via one interchange. “This