Town centre
This question is one of a selection of themes that were covered by the State of the Borough debate or were sent in by attendees.
Question: How will our town centre be improved and how will residents’ views be considered?
The town centre area covered by the Queensmere and Observatory Shopping Centres, as well as the former Debenhams and Marks & Spencer building, is being developed by Berkely Homes. The Berkely Homes scheme is taking forward the council’s vision of creating a vibrant new town centre where people can live well, with a conventional high street of smaller shops replacing the redundant big boxes existing at present. The scheme is also creating a new park and public squares, and restoring a conventional street pattern encouraging north south as well as east west movement.
Hoardings are already going up on site in preparation for the demolition of the Queensmere centre starting in early 2026. Berkley Homes is also investing in the Observatory centre, which will be improved and retained while the Queensmere scheme is built out.
Previously the council worked extensively with the Abu Dhabi Investment Agency (ADIA), the former owners of the site, to take ideas forward. But ADIA could not present a viable proposal for selling the site to a developer capable of delivering a high-quality scheme. The council turned to Berkeley Homes, as one of the UK’s premier developers, to acquire the ADIA holding and build on the existing planning permission.
At the same time, the development by Homes England and Muse of the former TVU (Thames Valley University) site, near the Moxy and the Curve, adds to the transformation of the town centre. These ventures will foster further development and help bring people back into the town centre, making the area somewhere where to live and enjoy, rather than a shopping centre which is deserted at night.
As part of the overall vision for the town centre, the council is working to encourage the owners of the long vacant Future works and Octagon sites to bring forward schemes creating a real sense of place around the station. This forms part of the council’s long-term objective to see all under used and vacant sites in the town centre redeveloped to revitalise the heart of our borough.
Berkley Homes and Muse have both started ongoing programmes of community consultation and engagement. These conversations will carry on as the schemes are designed and delivered and will be mirrored for the other developments.