Bellway accused of 'cheapskating' on Kenavon Drive scheme

Planning conditions are to be tightened at Reading Borough Council after housebuilder Bellway was accused of ‘cheapskating’ over a development in Kenavon Drive. Cllr Tony Page, who is deputy leader of the council and lead councillor for strategic environment, planning and transport, was speaking at Reading Borough Council’s planning applications committee meeting on Wednesday, (March 9), on the Reading Gateway development when the question arose of whether infrastructure such as roads would be

Reading Gateway wins approval

Plans for a major mixed use scheme at Reading Gateway were passed on Wednesday (March 9). Councillors described the plans as the most acceptable of any which have been proposed for the 22-acre site close to J11 of the M4. Kier Property's application includes up to 175 homes (89 two, three and four bed houses and 86 one and two bed flats), 12 flexible commercial units, two car showrooms with provision for MOTs, three large retail warehouses, 120-bed hotel with pub/restaurant and a coffee shop,

Lord Deighton becomes Heathrow chairman

Heathrow Airport Holdings Ltd has announced Lord Paul Deighton as successor to Sir Nigel Rudd as chairman of the board when he steps down later this year. Lord Deighton will guide Heathrow through its next phase of development and preparing for the Government’s decision on airport expansion. Following a career at Goldman Sachs, Lord Deighton helped deliver the 2012 London Olympic Games as chief executive of LOCOG (London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games). A commercial secretary to

Reading Bridge House goes up for sale

M&G; Real Estate has confirmed it has put Reading Bridge House on the market less than two years after buying the building for £35.2 million. The 114,000 sq ft building was bought out of receivership in February 2013 by a joint venture between Lumina Real Estate Capital and office developer and investor Wrenbridge for just £10.85m. The joint venture spent £6.5m completing a refurbishment which had begun in 2007 but only covered parts of the building that were empty at that time. The upgrade

ITC report says technology will help fix Heathrow challenges

A report published yesterday suggests environmental challenges around Heathrow expansion could be overcome. And the Independent Transport Commission (ITC) report, called The sustainability of UK Aviation: Trends in the mitigation of noise and emissions, concluded it was “possible for the UK to drive down the environmental costs of aviation while realising the great connectivity benefits that an expanded hub can provide.” The ITC, a research charity focused on transport, land-use and planning

Abingdon Business Park seeks R&D; market

Rockspring Property Investment Managers and XLB have begun a major refurbishment at Abingdon Business Park, with a focus on the research & development (R&D;) occupier market. The 50-acre mixed-use scheme has 360,000 sq ft of office, R&D; and industrial property in Oxfordshire’s economic and knowledge corridor. A full rebrand was completed recently including modernisation of the landscaping and now around 40 per cent (140,000 sq ft) of both the office and industrial accommodation is being

Rumours and movers: The Blade, The Curve, EY and roadworks on the A3290

Top Floor at The Blade Let The top floor of Reading’s most iconic office building has been let. Thames Valley Property understands a fast-growing law firm has taken all 7,500 sq ft of prestigious top floor of The Blade in Abbey Square which is owned by Aviva Investors. The 420 ft tower, completed by PMB Holdings in 2009, has had a turbulent history after hitting the market in the depths of recession. Originally targeted to be occupied by a single corporate tenant it is now multi tenanted by

JMP welcomed in Thames Valley

Around 100 guests enjoyed a welcome party with transport planning and engineering consultancy JMP on Thursday (March 3). The launch at the Malmaison in Reading, brought together guests from wide-ranging professions to celebrate the firm's successful arrival in the Thames Valley last year, when it set up at SoanePoint in Market Place, Reading. After a welcome by director Richard Stacey, Tim Smith, chief executive of Thames Valley Berkshire LEP spoke to guests and warned that transport planning

Drayton gets 140 more houses

Bloor Homes (South Midlands) has won approval to build 140 homes on land south of Drayton, Oxfordshire. The developer says the scheme will create new pedestrian and cycle routes, new public space and access roads among the one to five-bedroomed homes, in which 35 per cent will be affordable. The plan had attracted 13 letters of objection but was approved by planners at Vale of White Horse District Council on Wednesday, (March 2). subject to a list of 24 conditions. Plans for the 24-acre site,

NLP shows the benefits of meeting Berkshire's housing needs

Planners at Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners have illustrated the benefits of meeting Berkshire's housing needs in an infographic. The Berkshire authorities and the Thames Valley Berkshire LEP published their Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) this week setting out the forecast Objectively Assessed Need (OAN) for additional housing in each of the unitary authorities. Click the link at the bottom to see how NLP has crunched the numbers and come up with an at-a-glance graphic showing the