Peach Place will become pedestrianised after plans to redevelop the town centre area were approved by Wokingham Borough Council’s planning committee last night (Wednesday, March 4).
The plans will, according to a Borough Councillor, be a “huge improvement” on the “tired 1960s buildings” that are in line to be demolished.
Part of the ambitious regeneration scheme for Wokingham, the plans will see new retail units with accommodation above for the area between Costa Coffee and the Redan pub. Haka and Marks & Spencer will be unaffected and there ae plans to build four new houses on Rose Street.
It will take two years to build and work is secheduled to start in late 2016.
Plans also include a new pedestrianised public square, which the Council says will be key to unlocking the town centre’s full potential, providing a quiet area away from cars with shops, cafés, planting and seating. It could also mean an extension to the market and other specialist events.
Cllr Philip Mirfin, executive member for regeneration and communities, said: “This is another important step in the regeneration of Wokingham town centre.
“Once built, the new buildings along Peach Street will be a huge improvement on the tired 1960s buildings they will replace.
“There will be a variety of rooflines to reflect the existing buildings in the town, which is what local people told us they wanted.
“We will be able to provide a better range of shops, and create a better balance between national and niche retail, so I’m delighted our plans have been approved.
“Securing planning consent is just the first step in designing the redevelopment of Peach Place. We want to make sure our designs are right for the town and want local people to get involved.”
The Borough Council says it will be working with local people on the next steps of designs such as shop frontages, public art and landscaping. Local residents will be asked to help create a name for the new public square and the development, which will replace the working title of Peach Place.
Consultation on the Carnival Pool leisure hub proposals runs until Friday. Details of these plans, including the online survey, are available to view at: www.regenerationcompany.co.uk/the-proposal/carnival-pool
Once the consultation closes, the Council says it will consider all comments before submitting a planning application for the car park, and outline leisure facilities in the spring.
Further detailed designs for the leisure parts of the scheme will be developed and consulted upon at a later date.
It is hoped the planning application would be considered in the summer, with construction starting in 2016 (subject to approval).
Cllr Mirfin added: “I’d like to thank all those people that took the time to let us hear their views on the Carnival Pool leisure hub proposals. It’s very encouraging to see the amount of feedback we received.
“The local community quite rightly want to have a say in what happens in their town centre, and I’m pleased once again that they took the time to either visit our exhibitions or view the proposals on our website.”
You can keep up to date with the latest news on regeneration projects through its new website: www.regenerationcompany.co.uk
