Parkway, Newbury

Location: Newbury, Berkshire
Client: Shearer Property Group & Standard Life Investments
Status: Completed

Parkway is the result of a visionary partnership between Shearer Property Group and Standard Life Investments, who were chosen by the local authority to deliver the signature project of Newbury's 2025 Vision. The £120 million project features a mix of uses in a setting of open streets and squares, with 270,000 sqft of retail space, 180 apartments, and extensive landscaped amenity space.

The early discussion about the project brief presented several challenges, including the cost and viability of parking on the roof versus basement car parking and the desire to create a better urban landscape scheme by concealing parking below ground. Additionally, the project had to integrate the equivalent of 6 residential storeys into a historic market town, and making it not visible from the high street. The design overcame these challenges by holding extensive public and stakeholder consultation events to review the concerns and present the emerging design solutions.

The consented scheme received unanimous support with the design team then participating in the Compulsory Purchase Order process to acquire the land needed to deliver the project.

The design of Parkway was centred around making a place that connects the historic high street to Victoria Park and ensuring that activity and building fronts face onto public spaces. The residential parts of the scheme are above the shops and provide a positive use and activity throughout the day, where traditionally these spaces might only be occupied during normal shop opening hours. The affordable homes included within the scheme were built to the same standard and specification as the market sales apartments. A seven-storey apartment block with a two-storey penthouse at its top is visually the main focus of the scheme, and benefits from long views out across the Berkshire countryside.

Material choices for Parkway were carefully considered to blend seamlessly with the surrounding townscape of Newbury. Red Berkshire/North Hampshire brick, with stone, timber and render were used to create a mix of textures and variety that complements the area's historic architecture. The lighter weight materials were predominately used on the residential elements, which are located above the shops - allowing the solidity of the retail to provide a solid base for the living spaces above.

Sustainability was also a key consideration for the project, with highly insulated timber-frame construction for the flats that are also located around open landscaped amenity space.  These were commonly referred to as "sky gardens" as they are located three storeys above the shops and seemingly in the sky.

The Parkway development has been widely recognised for its innovative design and successful delivery. It won the British Council of Shopping Centres (BCSC now REVO) Gold Award and was highly commended by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE)'s design review panel. Parkway has not only revitalised the town centre of Newbury but also provided a model for how future urban developments can successfully integrate modern living, retail, and sustainability into historic towns.

Ian Blake led part of the design team on Parkway, Newbury whilst at Sutton Griffin Architects.

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