Wokingham: Regeneration On Hold - Again

20 December 2013, 18:00 | Updated: 20 December 2013, 18:16

Wokingham Borough Council has told Heart it's withdrawn both town-centre regeneration plans

It's a blow to residents who have been looking forward to a new look town centre for more than a decade.

A spokesman for Wokingham Borough Council said: "The regeneration has been a long held aspiration for residents and local businesses alike. Over the years there have been a number of private sector proposals which have not achieved this aim.

The council has stepped in to secure the future of the town. There has been a considerable amount of public engagement in the process to the date and the two linked town centre applications were submitted last month.

Many comments continue to be received on the two applications. Having reviewed and considered the comments and feedback received to date the council has decided to review some aspects of the design of the proposals. In order to avoid any confusion by submitting amendments to the current applications, the council has decided to withdraw them.

The council remains committed to the regeneration process and to achieving a development of excellent design quality. It will resubmit the applications in the near future at which time further consultations will be undertaken."

Wokingham MP John Redwood said: "The town centre improvements are underway with the work currently going on at the junction of Rose Street and Marketplace. This doesn't mean the end of town's improvement."