Sliproad closure and IDR decking abandoned
Adam Hewitt • Published 22 Sep 2010 08:30
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The original plans for the scheme, showing the completed Phase One apartments and car park in purple and the shelved Phase Two in green.
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AMBITIOUS plans to deck over the IDR and build on top of it are about to be formally shelved.
Phase Two of the Chatham Place scheme was dreamt up in sunnier economic times but it has become obvious in the past two years there was no prospect of it going ahead as planned. The Chronicle first reported in November 2008 that the plans had been shelved as the economy took a tumble.
Roads campaigners are delighted, because it also kills the prospect of the Chatham Street roundabout sliproads being closed off, without the need for an expensive public inquiry.
Borough transport leader Cllr Richard Willis said: “We will not be closing the sliproads. We’ve been trying to find a way through which enables us to keep those roads open.
“There is a less good financial position for the developer due to the economic climate, making it less viable, but we’ve come up with a way to let them work with the ‘terra firma’ part between the existing buildings and the IDR.”
Muse spokesman Nick Welsh said the firm welcomed the chance to move on from the decking project, adding: “The economic conditions are not conducive to realising the major Phase Two we had envisaged, but this is the best option and means we can complete the development of the site without having the IDR decking looming over us when it’s clearly not viable.”
The changes, which will need to be ratified in a private session of the council’s Cabinet on Monday, would lead to Muse drawing up fresh plans for the undeveloped space near Chatham Street, parts of which is fenced off and gravelled over.
The original plans were drawn up in 2003 and building work began in 2006. Phase One, the car park and apartment blocks, were finished last year and are nearly fully occupied, but work never started on Phase Two.
Mr Welsh said there was no clear timeline yet on when the remainder of the site would be developed or exactly how it would look. Older versions of the plans envisaged offices, a hotel and perhaps a leisure centre, and in the long-term a Phase Three involving some sort of 'landmark' built on what is now Chatham Street roundabout.
See also:
IDR-decking Chatham Place plans shelved (Thursday, 20th November, 2008):
Public inquiry over controversial traffic plans (Thursday, 15th July, 2010)
This article appeared in Reading Chronicle 22 Sep 10
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john
Unregistered User
Sep 22, 10:50
Report commentReal shame - the decking would have brought the site into the town centre making it more appealing .....
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Howard Thomas
Unregistered User
Sep 22, 20:02
Report commentNo problem with the 'decking' , but if that involves destroying a major roundabout and slip roads in a town with a severe traffic problem then it has to be a definite no no !
The plan was to send all the diverted traffic around the nearby quiet side roads including North st, where the ambulance station is based. How exactly would that have helped ambulance response times?
The Commonsense Party alone was responsible for the campaign to organise objections. I would describe this decision as a 'victory for CommonSense'
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rg1berksbloke
Unregistered User
Sep 24, 15:36
Report commentAMBITIOUS plans to deck over the IDR...
Odd how just a few years and a change of political regime can have a ripple effect through society. "Ambitious" - if this was the golden era of economic growth where people mattered more than a balance sheet... this would be just another petty, insignificant infrastructure item (not even of a 'project' level).
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