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ePetition details

LRIE Redevelopment

We, the undersigned, petition the Council to change its strategy for improving London Road Industrial Estate (LRIE), by: 1. Forming a stakeholder group to consider how best to improve LRIE and optimise benefits for the community. 2. Carrying out formal public consultation based on output from the above. 3. Cooperating with current occupiers, leaseholders and land owners to facilitate early improvement projects including the relocation of Bayer to LRIE. 4. Indefinitely postponing redevelopment by a single developer and the appointment of St Modwen Development.

The Council is embarking on a plan to carry out a wholesale redevelopment of LRIE by appointing St Modwen Developments Plc, a private developer whose principal objective is profit.

LRIE equates to approximately 50% of Newbury Town Centre Commercial Area - the project is therefore comparable to redeveloping 50% of the Town Centre.

The Council has made no attempt to carry out any public consultation with residents and businesses in West Berkshire nor directly with businesses and residents within and around LRIE that will be directly affected. The Council is intending to abdicate its obligation to carry out consultation to St Modwen - who cannot be considered impartial having declared its intention to acquire land by using the Council's powers of Compulsory Purchase if necessary.

The Council is obligated by legislation and its constitution to carry out consultation, particularly when considering such a large scale change to the town.

The Council does not therefore have a mandate from its constituents to proceed with the appointment of St Modwen to redevelop the Estate.

Through two public meetings organised by Community Representation for Openness and Fair Treatment (CROFT), the Council has been made aware of very serious concerns held by businesses, which remain unanswered.

The Council has not considered any other options other than the one described above. There has been no examination of the potential impact on businesses and residents nor whether the type of development put forward by St Modwen Developments will deliver the best outcome for Newbury and West Berkshire. No local people or companies have been engaged to input into the process and all decisions and debates by the Council and St Modwen have been held in private. Most documents and correspondence are not available for public viewing. This secret process is unnecessary and counter-democratic.

Bayer has expressed interest in considering LRIE as part of its planning towards relocation from its current office in 2018. A proposal put forward to facilitate this has been deemed by the Council and St Modwen as incompatible with the Council's strategy, thereby denying Bayer an opportunity to consider a key gateway site.

This ePetition ran from 10/03/2015 to 10/06/2015 and has now finished.

1055 people signed this ePetition.