This press release was received by Penny Post on 7 December. We have reproduced the first part of it exactly as it was supplied. The second part provides background information about CALA Homes and Wates Development. For information on this or any other aspect of the matter, please contact Sheeba Ali or Laura Townsend (see end of article).
If you have anything you would like to say on this, please add a comment (see foot of page). Once moderated, your comment (and any reply from us) will be visible to all visitors to the post. If you have any personal or professional interest in the matter, please specify what this is in your comment.
7 December 2017: Planning success for 100 much-needed new Hungerford homes
Planning Permission was issued on 30th November for 100 urgently needed new homes to be developed off Salisbury Road, close to the vibrant centre of Hungerford. The new housing development is a collaboration between CALA Homes and Wates Developments and will be located on the southern edge of Hungerford, within easy walking distance to the town centre and local facilities, as well as the neighbouring John O’Gaunt School and Leisure Centre.
After a lengthy planning period, including an unsuccessful judicial review by Hungerford Town Council into the allocation of the site in the Local Plan, the 100 new homes, including provision for 40 affordable properties, are ready to come forward. A legal agreement secured with West Berkshire Council will ensure the delivery of 28 rented homes and 12 homes that will be offered as shared ownership to the community.
The character of the development will be enhanced by the surrounding landscape, including woodland and 4.8 acres of parkland and recreational spaces and will comprise of a mix of 1, 2, 3 and 4 bedroom homes.
In addition, residents of Hungerford will benefit from a share of Community Infrastructure Levy contributions that may be in the region of £175,000 (out of a total of approximately £1,17m paid to West Berkshire) specifically for local causes.
A spokesperson for CALA Homes and Wates Developments said: ‘The process to bring forward this much needed new housing provision for Hungerford, together will all the additional benefits, has been unnecessarily long. ‘We have always maintained that we have a well-positioned and sustainable site on which to deliver a range of high-calibre new homes for the many people who want to live and be part of the thriving Hungerford and West Berkshire community.
‘We are pleased that we have secured outline planning permission and are now able to move forward with a reserved matters application without delay. Going forward, we hope to work together with Hungerford Town Council, to make a real contribution to meeting the local need for new homes – particularly affordable homes – and give hard-working families a great place to live.’
For information on behalf of CALA Homes contact:
Sheeba Ali / Laura Townsend
E: [email protected] / [email protected]
T: 0121 517 5177
2 Responses
As far I know Judicial Review of the Planning Application itself is still an option so this press release might be a little premature!
I sense that some lobbying, particularly of Hungerford Town Councillors has taken place, which ties in with my comment about transparency reported in the NWN regarding Hungerford Town Council’s arrangements with the Rugby Club, but is by no means limited to that issue which a rather disappointingly was given pride of place on the cover of the Hungerford edition of the NWN with only a small and factually incorrect article about the Salisbury Road/Land South of Priory Road decision on page 5.
I will be pressing to find out exactly what lobbying has been done, but from past experience with both Hungerford Town Council And West Berkshire Council I am unlikely to find out until long after the time limit for Judicial Review HS passed ( although I think/hope with planning applications it can under certain circumstances be extended)
Meanwhile the application and way forward are on the agenda for Monday’s HTC Environment & Planning meeting – it would help if you could publicise this via the Penny Post.
Ultimately I suspect the decision of whether to proceed or not may come down to cost, highlighting the issue of access to justice on environmental issues, but also highlighting again that we ( residents of Hungerford) have very little visibility of how Hungerford Town Council spend ( or intend to spend) our money. Personally I think monies would be better spent on JR than on paying planning consultants to ‘negotiate’ with the Developers and/or prepare a Neighbourhood Plan but I don’t know estimated costs of either. I do know however that Hungerford Town Council has paid quite a lot of money to Planning Consultants in the past, but am not sure what that has delivered to the Town. I could go on….
I have no financial interest in the development, nor am I employed by either developer or the Agent. I will also not be directly affected by the development, although I might be affected by other developments it might ‘unlock’ by setting a precedent for major development in the AONB, or by enabling access from the Salisbury Road to the fenced off JoG playing fields which West Berkshire Council have recently revealed they intend to develop – a fact that was not mentioned at the Examination in Public of the Housing Allocations DPD.
Finally, you may be interested in my FOI regarding the (non) call-in of this application which can be found on WhatDoTheyKnow.com https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/user/j_a_giggins/requests
We hope that this development of much needed homes will be designed, and built, to a high standard, and thereby enhance the Southern gateway to our town. (We have no personal or professional interest in the development.)