Lochailort Newbury Ltd has submitted two planning applications for a comprehensive redevelopment of Newbury’s Kennet Centre.
The plans will see the old shopping centre transformed into a new mixed-use high-quality, sustainable development featuring 402 new multi-family build to rent apartments, and private sale homes.
The scheme will also deliver 30 flexible shops, restaurants and co-working spaces, with a focus on attracting local, independent and artisan businesses.
The first application features plans for a new tech incubator hub that will provide flexible space for high-tech and start-up businesses as well as a ‘highly sustainable’ HQ office building. The second application includes proposals for a senior living development of 91 apartments, complete with residents’ amenities on the ground floor.
In acknowledgement to Newbury’s industrial history, the development will be named Eagle Quarter, after Plenty’s Eagle Iron Works, which was previously on the site.
The development will also looks to create a number of quality landscaped new public spaces and vibrant outside areas that will be used in conjunction with the restaurants, cafes and shops.
Other features include a new Health Centre, as well as on-site resident’s gym, squash court, meeting rooms, dining rooms, and garden terraces and resident’s lounge.
The plans also include the retention and enhancement to the existing Vue cinema and food area. Improvements to the existing multi-storey car park, with the provision of an additional floor of parking and more parking spaces and electric vehicle charging points.
In addition to solar rooftop panels, ground source heat pumps, tree planting and open spaces, the development will use sustainable energy solutions in place of fossil fuels, which by example will make a saving of an estimated 2,557 tonnes of CO2 per year as compared to the existing building.
Managing director of Lochailort, Hugo Haig, commented: “We are incredibly excited about these plans, which will replace this outdated and underused shopping centre with a high-quality new mixed-use scheme that will bring huge benefits both locally as well as to the wider community.”
“Our aim is to rejuvenate, this area of Newbury and provide an exciting and interesting leisure experience, with a diversity of offers; shopping, food and convivial activity to the town centre, that will complement the town and the region as a whole.”
“We believe that the experience of living in Eagle Quarter or coming watch a movie or eat a meal in the development will be a really attractive place to be.”
“We are fortunate to have this once-in-a-lifetime chance to create a special place, in a special town – somewhere we all would like to hang out and spend time, somewhere that people want to come to and Newbury can be proud of.”
