The £840,000 revamp of the Market Place will be on the agenda at the Planning and Highways meeting at the Town Hall this evening.

Councillors will be discussing a 26 point letter which was sent to the Highways Department at West Berkshire Council earlier this year.

Whilst largely agreeing with the concept, councillors have concerns over amongst other things, the re-siting of the market during construction work, the revised location for the Christmas tree and the impact on traffic movement in the area.

The meeting starts at 7.30pm

http://www.newbury.gov.uk/Agendas05/agendaph050822.pdf

Summers of love

Sexy underwear chain Ann Summers will be open in time for Christmas, and not next month as we reported earlier in the month.

The risqué retailer hired its local team at a recruitment day at the Chequers Hotel recently, and will be taking over the Officers Club store.

Newbury.net fans could get an extra birds-eye view of the opening, if our plans to install a webcam on the opposite side of the street get the seal of approval.

No to West Mills flats

A second set of plans to demolish homes and build flats in West Mills have been thrown out. West Berkshire Council rejected a scheme by Renaissance Habitat for seven flats to be built in place of a detached house in Rockingham Road. The development would have generated around £14,000 to spend on improving the oval space in St George’s Avenue, but the council said it was an overdevelopment. Earlier plans to build 44 flats in Craven Road, with underground parking, were similarly rejected.

New landlord

Lock Stock and Barrel chef Gary Shaw takes over as landlord of the Snooty Fox today, newbury.net can reveal.

Mr Shaw hopes to boost lunchtime trade with a string of new menu ideas. The former landlord’s plans for a tex mex restaurant never materialized.