NEWBURY CHEQUERS HOTEL & CINEMA

Scaffolding has now been removed from newly painted Chequers Hotel. Great improvement. Ground floor window frames still await restoration but building looks quite grand now.

Activity on cinema site - steel framework is appearing.

PARKWAY NEWBURY VIEWS OF CLEARED AREAS

The clearing of the old buildings continues. Today the area was being levelled and compacted - looks as if we're getting a new cricket pitch! Plenty of staff and plant on site.

West Street did re-open on Monday. Found a programme of works on the web - runs to 116 pages.

CHEQUERS & PARKWAY

Good to see the renovation of The Chequers is making progress. A rather more extensive project than anticipated I think? It was looking very sad and hopefully will be restored to former glory.

In Parkway the demolition of the small buildings and parking areas is more or less complete. A lot of plant on site and activity in many areas. One of the interesting things this week was watching the recovery of topsoil. It was being 'sifted' out of a digger bucket and gathered in heaps around the site - see image, taken through the mesh fences. Good to be able to see this activity - if the site was surrounded by hoardings we shouldn't know what was happening on the site - as is the case with the cinema site!

BROADWAY BLOCKED

On Monday 3rd. November West Street was closed. Park Street was still closed to through traffic - it was open for access and 2 way traffic as far as the barriers near the eastern end, so, as predicted, The Broadway became a dead end between 10am and 6pm. Might be an idea to put up a sign near the clock house to prevent traffic entering The Broadway and then having to turn round and come back again.

MORE GONE TODAY

Car wash next to M & S all gone now. Office block at northern end of Parkway is going = not sure when it was built - sometime in the last 20 years I guess.

West St. due for closure between 3.11.08-17.11.08. Hopefully Park St. will re-open. If it doesn't the Broadway will be a dead end between 10am and 6pm.

Would be interesting to see a 'Programme of Works' for this contract - as it is every day is a voyage of discovery for Newbury residents.

Wonder if there has been much effect on the town's retail trade? Nothing in the local press about it - so far. If there has been an adverse effect probably best if we don't know - can't 'talk it down' then!