Hambledon Land puts Wycombe ski site on an upward curve

A developer which specialises in unlocking difficult sites has won planning permission to build 30 homes on the former Wycombe Summit ski slope site. Hambledon Land, worked with Wycombe District Council and the local community and was supported by GKA Property Communications to win permission for the site which had been derelict for more than ten years. The permission will include funding a comprehensive management plan for 29 hectares of Ancient Woodland which is adjacent. Hambledon Land

Silverstone Technology Cluster forms its own company

Silverstone Park has formalised its status as a technology hub by forming a specific company. Park developer MEPC has brought together Barclays, EMW, Grant Thornton, Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence, Aylesbury Vale District Council and Cherwell District and South Northants Council to agree a business plan and set up the membership-based, not-for-profit company called Silverstone Technology Cluster (STC). It follows the publication of a ‘cluster report’, by economic and social research

Pharmiweb Solutions moves into One Station Square, Bracknell

Three floors of One Station Square in Bracknell have been let to Pharmiweb Solutions. Pharmiweb Solutions, a technology services business for the global pharmaceutical and healthcare sector, has taken a total of 12,693 sq ft in the building which was refurbished by Brydell Partners. Lambert Smith Hampton and Knight Frank advised on its marketing. The building, close to the station and five minutes walk from The Lexicon, is the first in Bracknell to have exposed services. It maintains a good

Wates Developments plans 120 homes at Chalgrove

Wates Developments has applied to build 120 homes on land east of Chalgrove in South Oxfordshire. The 7.45 hectare site is close to houses in Farm Close and Chiltern Close and is currently used for arable farming. The plans for housing, submitted to South Oxfordshire District Council includes play areas, a new nature park and a scout hut / community centre. The one to four bedroom houses will include 48 (40 per cent) which are affordable. In its design and access statement prepared by Ayre

Councils urged to go further to help deliver 66,000 homes

Four councils which teamed up to launch a joint framework for nearly 66,000 new homes in the West of Berkshire should go a stage further and commit to helping deliver them. Mark Schmull, associate director at Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners (NLP) Thames Valley office in Reading says the joint working of the group which launched last week, was the right approach but he urged the four authorities to step up their drive to ensure the homes are delivered. Bracknell Forest, Reading, West Berkshire

Plans for 423 homes at Fleet deferred

Plans for 423 homes at Fleet have been deferred while council officials seek additional highways information. The proposal by Berkeley Strategic Land for 35 hectares north of Netherhouse Copse in Hitches Lane, had been recommended for approval but Hart District councillors put the matter off at a lengthy meeting of the planning committee on Wednesday, December 14. The 35 hectare site includes 13.42 hectares of Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG) which would form an extension to

Decision due next year on St Michael's retail park at Basingstoke

Eleven retail and restaurant units are proposed in an out-of-town scheme in Basingstoke. Area Estates a joint venture between Fintry Estates and Pears Property, has applied to build the seven retail units and four restaurant/cafés along with 422 car parking spaces and 100 cycle parking spaces on the former Smiths Industries Aerospace site off The Harrow Way. The site has been empty since Smiths’ buildings were demolished in 1995. Permission was given for a ‘bulky goods’ retail warehouse in

116 homes planned for Warfield

Harrow Estates has applied to build 116 homes in Warfield near Bracknell. Under the plans submitted to Bracknell Forest Borough Council the 4.76 hectare site, north of Watersplash Lane, will have six one-bedroom, 31 two-bedroom, 40 three bedroom, 30 four bedroom and nine five-bedroom homes. The site is part of a wider 170-hectare scheme in which 2,200 home will eventually be built by a number of developers. The Western Consortium which is behind the overall scheme put on a public exhibition

Drive-through bank plan at Reading Gateway is in the balance

Doubts are looming over plans for Reading’s first drive-through bank. The existing planning permission for Keir’s mixed-use Reading Gateway development at Worton Grange on the former Hewlett Packard site allows for a bank that has one drive through lane. However Keir has now submitted plans for a standard 557 sq m retail or restaurant unit on that part of the scheme, known as Unit D. In a new application to Reading Borough Council Keir’s agent Savills states: “Unit D was intended for

Five restaurants sign up for Westgate Oxford's Roof Garden

Five restaurant brands have signed up to open in The Roof Garden at the new Westgate Oxford centre when it opens in October 2017. Cinnamon Kitchen, The Breakfast Club, The Alchemist, Pizza Pilgrims and Polpo have all taken units in what is being called a ‘kitchen-garden eating and drinking destination’. The 800,000 sq ft centre, being developed by Westgate Oxford Alliance, a joint venture between Land securities and The Crown Estate, will be home to over 100 retailers and 25 restaurants and