Wokingham

A revitalised Wokingham town centre is on the cards after Wokingham District Council’s planning committee last night (Wednesday November 29) gave approval to an application for new shops, cafés, restaurants and homes in the area around Rose Street car park.

Known as Peach Place, Wokingham the new development is designed to enhance the town centre, ensuring continued vibrancy and offering a range of attractions to entice people into the town. The district council has for some time been working to ensure a viable and desirable development of this area, recognising that it is key to Wokingham town centre’s future success.

Officers at the council have worked closely with developers Rock Investment Group, who are a significant landowner in the site, to find the best way forward for the development and ensure new buildings and environment that are suitable to this prominent site in the town centre.

And last night the council’s planning committee approved the application for 27 retail units, 137 flats, five houses and a decked car park. The council has negotiated a total of £400,000 contribution from the developer for education, community, recreation transport and traffic management, affordable housing and art facilities.

Cllr David Lee, chairman of the Wokingham planning committee, said: “There were a number of concerns raised by residents and organisations when this application last came to planning committee on October 18. Councillors therefore asked for the decision to be deferred until the applicants had been given an opportunity to consider and address these concerns.

“The application was then modified, taking account of the points raised and I am pleased that we now have approval from the committee. I look forward to seeing the scheme develop and Wokingham town centre revitalised as a result.”

Formal approval of the application will now be given in writing, subject to the signing of legal agreements.

Wokingham District Council