‘Overbearing and cramped’ Bath Road development is refused

Newbury firm Ressance applied to demolish numbers 131 to 141 Bath Road (the majority of which are empty) and replace them with 37 properties, six three-bedroom houses, 15 two-bedroom flats and 16 one-bedroom flats.
It was turned down by West Berkshire Council over the proposal for a three-storey building, which would be “appreciably higher” than the neighbouring two-storey semi-detached houses, with planning officers calling the proposed layout cramped.
The head of planning and countryside at West Berkshire Council, Gary Lugg, said: “The proposal seeks to introduce a substantial building in this prominent location. The proposal at predominately three storeys will be appreciably higher than neighbouring buildings stepping up at the corner [of Henwick Lane].
“Set forward of the strong building line which defines both Bath Road and Henwick Lane, the development sits hard against the road, the impact of which is increased by the sheer scale of the elevations.
“By reason of the siting, height, scale and massing of the dwellings, the proposals will have a harmful impact on the street scene.
“Within the development, the buildings and areas of hard standing occupy a significant proportion of the site particularly when viewed from the main entrance. The proposal as a whole presents an overdevelopment of the site, resulting in a cramped layout.”
Thatcham Town Council raised objections to the application for various reasons, including an overdevelopment of the site which would be overbearing on neighbours.
Town council ward member, Gary Johnson (Lib Dem, Thatcham West), said: “This is the right decision. It’s too many [homes] to be built there.
“Looking at the planning application, the entrance would have been from Henwick Lane and my concern is that, even though there [was to be] underground parking, I believe people [would have] parked on the road.
“There is a set of traffic lights there and cars parking on the road causes concern.”
There were 12 letters of objection and one letter of support.
Ressance currently has permission to build 12 one and two-bedroom flats on part of the site, granted on appeal last year.
In a letter to the Newbury Weekly News in October, the chief executive Duncan Crook said: “The profit which we forecast from this development is at or below the level which the Housing and Communities Agency considers appropriate.
“We are attempting to obtain permission for an aesthetically-pleasing development which will bring into good use previously developed urban land and deliver much needed new homes to the area.
“Earlier this year, two similar developments in Bath Road attracted over 570 enquiries for just 21 new homes.”
At the time of going to press, nobody from Ressance could be contacted for further comment.