Newbury: Plan to build flats on shopping centre site refused

West Berkshire Council rejected the application as it would be an "overpowering and dominant feature"

A plan to build multi-storey blocks of flats on the site of a shopping centre has been turned down.

The £115m scheme, called Eagle Quarter, in The Mall, Newbury, featured 367 flats in blocks - the tallest being nine storeys.

The revamp on the Kennet Shopping centre site also featured shops, cafes and offices.

West Berkshire Council rejected the application which it said would be an "overpowering and dominant feature".

The authority added: "To introduce a development of the scale and height proposed in the historic core of Newbury would alter the character of the conservation area and introduce a false narrative to Newbury's past."

It also said the development did not offer enough affordable housing, parking or open space for the flats, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) reported.

A separate but linked application to include 91 retirement homes at the same site was also refused on the same grounds.