Branding Newbury: A town of history, community and
Future plans to make the West Berkshire town ‘a place of convenience’ include the regeneration of the Kennet Shopping centre and more events to attract visitors and support firms
IT is easy to assume the town of Newbury will look after itself. It has low unemployment – less than three per cent.
With a high number of those employed in West Berkshire occupying senior manager roles – nearly 14 per cent – there is a high standard of living.
Although latest crime stats see a nudge upwards from last year to 951 crimes, the district has lower than average criminal activity.
There are more than 600 businesses, great and small – with around 100 independent shops.
Life is generally good. But should such good fortune be taken for granted?
There is a machine running in the background in West Berkshire’s biggest town, trying to both protect and preserve the town’s identity while future proofing what it offers.
One of those cogs in the machine is the Newbury Business Improvement District (BID).
Melissa Hughes is the CEO of the not-for-profit organisation aimed at helping Newbury town centre to thrive.
“We feel what we do for Newbury is important particularly after a pandemic,” she explains. “Newbury needs to be marketed as a place so it is important for the town that we get that message out there so people and businesses keep coming to Newbury.”
She is looking at the big picture and wants Newbury to be at the forefront of redefining town centres for the future.
“We would love to get to a point where we can curate what is in the town centre,” she adds. “If we can establish a strong enough brand, that will be possible. We want to be able to say ‘This is what Newbury is all about’ and say we think your business would be a great fit for the town.”
She is broadly in favour of the regeneration of the Kennet Shopping centre and supports pedestrianisation of the Market Place.
“There are big logistical issues to take the traffic out, but it feels like it is worth trying to achieve for the future of Newbury in the next 50 to 100 years.”
We want to be able to say ‘This is what Newbury is all about’ and say we think your business would be a great fit for the town
“Town centres are changing and the reasons people come in to them are changing.
“The more people who live in the town will then use the facilities in the town.
“People crave convenience. The only thing more convenient than getting Amazon to deliver the next day is if what you need is on your doorstep.
“There is a lot of talk of 15-minute neighbourhoods – 15 minutes from everything you need. The local train station, the pub, restaurants, shops, the doctors, community facilities and so on. It is quite a European concept. People will continue to crave convenience and time is their most precious commodity.
“So if we can create a town which is convenient for people and it is curated in such a way to have what people need and want it will become a place where people gather and come together.”
Branding Newbury
Set up in 2012, Newbury BID is funded from around 600 businesses paying an annual 1.5 per cent levy of their rateable values and it brings business investment into the town to help improve the trading environment.
“We make sure we are the eyes and the ears of the town. We are trying to nail down what Newbury is all about to develop its brand,” says Melissa.
“If I could sum the town up in three words they would be ‘historical’, ‘sense of community’ and ‘independence’.”
In brand speak, a town tagline is emerging – ‘Where history meets imagination’ is in the waters.
The BID team is also a lynchpin for town centre community events such as the recent Victorian Christmas Fayre.
The Victorian Christmas Fayre took a step back in time in Newbury – speaking to the ‘historical’ brand element of the BID.
“We know that people in Newbury like community events – the Christmas lights switch-on brought loads of people into the town,” adds Melissa.
“But we also make sure these events support the local businesses. We want to bring lovely events to the town, but also make people aware of what else is going on.”
The BID team used an external operator for the fair, which also delivers the Stratford-upon-Avon Christmas Fair, acting as the town’s event project manager.
“We enhance the entertainment available through funding from West Berkshire Council,” she says.
“We talk constantly to venues, suppliers, etc. For example, we [worked] with Newbury College to provide actors for the Christmas fair.
“Events are one of the key things we do as they help to bring vibrancy to the town.”
The Newbury BID function is due to go to a member ballot in early 2022.
Newbury Society – could we take a lesson from Bath?
While the BID team whirrs away with the marketing, those more concerned with the town’s aesthetic qualities are also busy.
Conservationists are stepping up their campaign to block proposals for hundreds of flats in Newbury town centre.
Developers are up against considerable local opposition with their plans to bulldoze the Kennet Shopping centre and build nine- and 11-storey blocks of flats.
The Newbury Society says the proposed buildings of the new ‘Eagle Quarter’ will dwarf the town centre buildings and destroy the historic charm of the town.
Newbury Town Council roundly objected to the plans, with the plaintiff cry that ‘we don’t want Newbury to look like Basingstoke or Reading’.
The developer did promise to make the plans look ‘more Newbury’, but vice president of the Newbury Society Garry Poulson says that is not enough.
“My heart and soul recognises that the town centre is facing a potential blight which in 50 years time people will say who the hell let that happen?” he says.
“The Newbury Society’s job is to protect the beautiful environment we have around the town centre and that any
development here is sensitive to its surroundings.
“What we are faced with at the moment is something that the public is scared of.
“It is the massive scale of it. People have said we don’t want to look like Swindon or Reading, we want it to look like Newbury. This is totally insensitive to the town centre. I’d like it to reference the town’s Georgian history.
“It’s been done at the shipping development in Bath. Developers want to make a profit, yes. But we are trying to protect something.”
Chairman of the Newbury Society David Peacock says: “The Kennet centre represents a considerable part of the town centre, so it needs to be carefully designed to benefit the town.
“I don’t think there are many people in Newbury who would want to keep the Kennet centre as it is.
“Newbury needs to draw people in from the outside so it needs to keep its character. I’d like Newbury to be itself. There is a tendency for towns to develop a monolithic culture.
“Newbury has individual qualities and developments should complement them rather than overshadow them.
“I’d like to make it clear we are not against the development of the Kennet centre but it needs much more thought.”
The plans are due before West Berkshire Council early next year.
Bigger and better?
But the bigger picture again is the much vaunted Local Plan which will determine the shape and size of development and infrastructure in the district for the next 30 years.
The council’s Local Plan Review (LPR) was thrown into disarray in August after a change in Government planning laws, which mandated that all ‘significant extensions’ to towns or villages needed to be the subject of a 30-year vision to factor in the potential timescale of the delivery, rather than only new settlements.
The council executive member for planning, transport and countryside Richard Somner (Con, Tilehurst South and Holybrook) says: “Although we were initially disappointed with the delay to the LPR by a year due to the changes in national guidance, I am glad we are able to confirm the new dates for 2022.
“If we do not have a Local Plan, development will still take place but it will be developer led in an uncoordinated manner.”
Those big plans are due before the council chamber next summer.