The townscape, connectivity, mix of uses and vitality of this part of the town centre call for a comprehensive approach to the redevelopment of the impermeable, dated and largely redundant area between the railway station and Market Place.

The scheme will provide a variety of long-lasting benefits to the local community including: 

	Around 400 new homes
	A new low-carbon headquarters office building or alternatively a new retirement community.
	A workplace hub
	Flexible commercial units for artisan and independent retailers
	Additional public car parking
	A new landscaped pedestrian route named New Street, connecting Market Street to Bartholomew Street and Market Place. A new public square, Eagle Square, will provide a new link into the retained Vue cinema as well as a bandstand. A range of activities will take place in Eagle Square and along New Street, as well as in Plenty’s Yard, a new public space with direct access to the improved multi-storey car park.

Increased permeability and connectivity with the context – both streets and open spaces – will be a key opportunity for the project. 

A new sequence of spaces, with a variety of scales and characters, will offer connectivity with the existing context such as Market Place, St Nicolas Church, the new Market Street Development, the existing multi-storey car park and the Vue Cinema. Hierarchy in scale includes potential for a new civic open space at the south of the site, Eagle Square, as well as a series of yards and passages, alongside landscaped podiums and private terraces.

The key design features use the site’s industrial history and existing Newbury character to present a collection of buildings, each unique and with its own character. 

With an industrial history, as home to Plenty’s Eagle Iron Works, precedent can be drawn from contextual and existing Victorian industrial architecture. Through these precedents various design cues can be picked up, such as variety in forms, façade articulation and a low-key muted classicism. 

The idea is to design each building as unique and create a distinct sense of place full of character and charm. There are repeating elements throughout the scheme but applied differently, mixing more traditional and contemporary language and detailing to create layers, visual interest and varied character. The inspiration is industrial and detailing such as diamond brick patterns, found locally, are reinterpreted and used throughout the development.

There is opportunity to create a more diverse mix of uses on the application site. This would complement the variety of uses already present in the local area. 

Bartholomew Street and Cheap Street have shaped the site’s urban form and active frontages and the communal focus of Market Place and Market Street to the south have created a rich and lively urban quarter. The proposal aspires to add to this as a mixed-use scheme consisting of retail, amenity, work space and residential.

The landscaping and public realm proposals for the redevelopment are based upon the re-creation of historical streets and spaces accessible for people to enjoy. 

This brings an opportunity to introduce landscaping, seating, places to sit and eat, and an animated extension of the High Street directly to the train station. In addition, the new route takes pedestrians to the Corn Exchange and better ensures that all parts of Newbury can be more easily and safely enjoyed.

Permeability with the context is key within the project.  A new sequence of spaces, with a variety of scales and characters, will offer connectivity with the existing context. 

BARTHOLOMEW STREET 

Update road alignment to minimise vehicular area and introduce flush kerbs to improve pedestrian character. 

MARKET STREET 

Improve western crossing, omit taxi rank and add additional landscaping. Create connection to Market Street Development and Newbury Railway Station. Add planting and street trees to improve Market Street. 

CHEAP STREET 

New crossing treatment to Market Place. 

EAGLE PLACE 

New pedestrian route connecting Eagle Square to the north and north east of the site at Bartholomew Street and Market Place.

Running through the heart of Eagle Quarter will be a new pedestrianised street, providing a safe and attractive new way to walk from the railway station to the Town Centre, and including direct links to Market Place, Bartholomew Street and Bear Lane.

We aim to create a vibrant, bustling and interesting street, lined with a variety of small outlets as diverse as shops, cafes, restaurants and workshops. Specifically designed with independent local businesses in mind, these flexible-occupancy units will be offered on simple terms and turnover rents, giving local entrepreneurs and any local business with a great idea the opportunity of taking space in Newbury’s newest quarter.

By retaining and enhancing the existing leisure facilities such as the Vue cinema, this will create a convivial environment. Eagle Quarter will complement the existing shops and facilities in the Town Centre. 

People Living in West Berkshire currently have some of the highest carbon footprints in the region. Eagle Quarter aims to deliver an energy efficient and sustainable development in the heart of Newbury, which supports the aspirations of West Berkshire Council and provides a flagship for the town.

SUSTAINABILITY BENEFITS: 

The new headquarters office building will strive to achieve BREEAM Excellent accreditation.

CARBON REDUCTION ASPIRATIONS 

Ground Source Heating. We plan to use an innovative open loop ground source heat pump. This will have eight boreholes 130 m beneath the site which abstract heat from the groundwater. The heat pumps will generate heating and hot water for the development in an efficient and cost-effective way.

LOW CARBON TRAJECTORY

The ‘carbon trajectory’ decreases annually, showing how the scheme will benefit from ongoing grid decarbonisation.

EXISTING VS PROPOSED

When comparing the carbon footprint of how the Kennet Centre performs now, with how our proposal is predicted to perform on day 1, the proposed scheme saves the equivalent of 2,528 passenger round trips to New York.

LOCHAILORT’S THAMES QUARTER, READING

Lochailart’s Thames Quarter development in Reading is 26% more energy efficient than the Building Regulations require, saving 82.4 tonnes of CO2 every year through its onsite Combined Heat & Power plant. This was a fossil-fuel (gas) powered solution whilst at Newbury we proposing a non-fossil fuel (renewables) powered solution.

Scheme carbon trajectory in first 10 years of use

• The comparison is based on regulated energy (i.e. the energy associated with building fixed systems, such as heating, hot water and lighting)
• The total carbon figure for each stage is based on electrical consumption calculated from a Part L compliant SBEM Energy Model
• SAP 10 Emission Factors have been used to calculate the carbon emissions for Building Regulations Target & Predicted Carbon Emissions, in line with calculations to be presented in the planning application
• 2024 & 2030 Emission factors have been on Webtag Table 3.3 figures, ratio adjusted with BEIS figures

Operational carbon saved through redevelopment is the equivalent to 2,528 round trip passenger flights between London & New York

• The existing carbon footprint has been based on the current Kennet Centre area schedule and typical energy consumption figures derived from CIBSE Guide F/Better Buildings Partnership
• SAP 10 Emission Factors have been used to calculate the carbon emissions for both scenarios
• Opening day carbon footprint has been based on the Part L calculations for residential and non-residential and includes unregulated energy usage.
• Based on 0.986 kg.CO2 per round trip

“Making Newbury a town we can all be proud of” 

TOWN COUNCIL’S GOAL 1: HELP MAKE NEWBURY A UNIQUE, WELCOMING, SAFE AND WELL CARED FOR TOWN

How we’re responding:

• Creating lively new pedestrianised streets which provide new links between the town’s railway station, bus station and High Street and encompassing new public spaces which will green the Town Centre
• Providing over 30 new flexible shops and restaurants that will be carefully curated with a focus on local, independent and artisan businesses
• Retaining and enhancing the existing cinema & leisure wing, plus improvements to the existing multi-storey car park including additional parking spaces 

TOWN COUNCIL’S GOAL 2: FOSTER A REAL SENSE OF COMMUNITY 

How we’re responding:

• Providing around 400 hundred new homes, including a significant proportion purposely-designed for rent which include class-leading residents’ amenities
• More people living in the Town Centre will add to its footfall and benefit of existing shops and services 

TOWN COUNCIL’S GOAL 3: TAKE ACTIONS TO ADDRESS THE CLIMATE EMERGENCY 

How we’re responding:

• Banning fossil fuels from the scheme and instead using a range of renewable energy solutions which will save at least 240 tonnes of CO2 emissions per annum
• Providing a car club, cycle hire (including electric bicycles) and electric vehicle charging points