New Society Building – Newbury Showground
New Society Building – Newbury Showground
David Williams Landscape Consultancy acted on behalf of the Newbury and District Agricultural Society in the support of a Planning Application for a new Society building at the Newbury Showground to the north east of junction 13 of the M4 motorway (A34/M4 junction) in West Berkshire.
DWLC were instructed to prepare a landscape report that considered the landscape and visual issues relating to the erection of a new building for showing livestock, plus assembly and leisure uses on non show days, access road, pond and outdoor ménage located within the central southern parts of the showground. The proposed building is to be approximately 45 m in width by 73 metres in length and a maximum ridge line of 12metres in height. On the basis of the initial landscape and visual impact assessment, DWLC was able identify an appropriate method(s) for integrating the proposed development into the Site and rural setting of the showground.
The final report then accompanied the detailed planning application which submitted to West Berkshire Council in May 2011. The landscape and visual impact assessment concluded that the effects on the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (NWDAONB) would be minimal and not result in development which seriously detracts from the natural beauty of the area and that when considered against the relevant policies contained in the South East Plan and saved policies in the West Berkshire Local Plan it concluded that the development would be acceptable and not have significant adverse affects on the character and appearance of the surrounding countryside. The application was approved in January 2012.
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