NWN-291020

Thursday, October 29, 2020 37

NEWBURYNEWS

Newbury Weekly News

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A Newbury News Limited publication www.newburyhomesearch.co.uk find your perfect home in west berkshire here each week in Newbury home search and online anytime at www.newburyhomesearch.co.uk

Boundary’s best

A DECEPTIVELY large bay-fronted four-bedroomdetached Victorian home in BoundaryRoad, this property has been extendedto provide excellent family accommodation. The property has been very well maintainedby its current owner to a very high standard and benefits from a brand new bathroom, gas-fired central heating and uPVC double-glazing. The accommodation comprisesa reception hallway with exposed floor timbers, while the lounge also has exposed timber floors, a bay window and wood-burning stove. A dining roomwith open fire, wooden flooringand French doors leads to a conservatory, large kitchen/breakfast roomand utility room/downstairs cloakroom. On the first floor there are four double bedrooms, a new family bathroomand a

separate shower room. To the outside front of the house, there is a large driveway affording off-road parking, a detached single garage and an additionalgravel parking space on the front garden. There is a beautifulmature traditional gardenmainly laid to lawn withwell- stocked flower and shrub borders offering all year round interest with a mature vine. There is a decked patio where one can enjoy alfresco dining, while the garden is fully enclosed and offers a degree of privacy. The property is in a great location, withinwalkingdistanceof the railway station, Newbury town centre and the racecourse. To appreciate the space, an internal home viewing is highly recommended. The guide price is £499,995. For more details, call (01635) 43333 or email sales@cricketts.co.uk

Castle is for keeps CASTLELane Cottage, in JohnsonsLane, Cold Ash, is a stunningdetached traditionalcottage with incredible southerly views across the North HampshireDowns. This versatile property has been totally refurbishedby the current owners to provide a spacious, stylishhome, while maintaininga wealth of charm and character. The house is situated on a quiet lane in the heart of the sought-aftervillage, close to Thatcham. With a fabulous entertaining spaces inside and out and planningpermission to further extend the ground floor, viewing is highly recommended. The accommodation consistsof a hall, kitchen/ dining roomwith lantern ceiling, living room, sitting room/study, cloakroom, double bedroom to the ground floor, three further double bedrooms to the first floor and a family bathroom. Benefits include off-road private parking for several vehicles, with plenty of space and planning permission for a double garage, beautifully maintainedgardens and local walks on the doorstep into surroundingcountrysideandwoodlands. The guide price is £699,950. For more details, call (01635) 523777or visit www.downer.co.uk For private sale and rental properties, see the classifieds section of the Newbury Weekly News. @newburytoday Follow us through the week Families in emergency meeting on care home @newburytoday Follow us through the week Investigation into saga that cost council £946,000 Inquiry states LRIE sch me had ‘no clear business case’ Pages 35-37 WEST BERKSHIRE’S FOUR-MONTH LOCKDOWN JOURNEY IN PICTURES

‘Generation Rent ’ to become‘Generation Buy’? Markectommenbty SIMONDOWNE,R directoorfDowne&r Co BORISJohnsonhas attractedboth praise and horror with a new plan for 95-per-cent mortgages to help beleaguered first-timebuyers

decide on mortgages based on risk, becauseall the PrimeMinisterwill potentially achieve is a synthetic rise in property values? Some have argued it would be better to spend that public money on delivering affordable rental properties. Personally, I don ’t disagree with the initiative, yet I am queryingwhat are the first-timebuyers going to be able to buy? Only time will tell if ‘Generation Buy’ will help save the property market and the economy. In the meantime, I think it will be a safe bet that people still need homes to live in. Let me know your thoughtson this. Newbury’s Van & Truck Hire Specialists Make the smart move, call 01635 552200 smart hire vehicle rental CARS VANS MINIBUSES TRUCKS www.SmarthireVehicleRental.co.uk

get on the property ladder, but would that exposeUK taxpayers to toomuch risk? In this article I discuss the implications of what that wouldmean both nationally and in Newbury. With the property market taking off due to the StampDuty holiday introduced in the summer, Mr Johnsonannounceda plan to offer first-timebuyers long-term low-interest 95-per-cent mortgages. Yet when someoneborrows more than 75 per cent, the banks normally take out insurancein case the buyer defaults and the banks lose money if the property gets repossessed. Nobody could deny we are enteringa period of uncertainty in the coming 12/18months, so insurancepremiumshave gone through the roof. Mortgage companieshave avoided riskier high percentage first-timebuyer mortgages since the start of the coronavirus predicament. At the end of February 2020, there were just under 400 95-per-cent loan-to-valuemortgage products accessible, yet today that figure stands at just 26. Also, the demand for lower-percentage loans explodedafter lockdown was lifted, and withmany mortgage staff still working from home, the banks

and building societies focused their attentionon getting those (less risky) mortgages sorted first. So, one must ask, should the Government take on the risk frommortgage providers in the form of a guarantee, sparking concern among economiststhe Government is already burdenedwith debt? Yet taxpayers have been fundinga similar scheme for years. The Help to Buy scheme, which allows first-time buyers to buy a homewith a five-per-cent deposit (and the Government guaranteeingbetween 20 to 40 per cent of the loan) has been in operation since 2013. Taxpayers are already guaranteeing£16.049bnof loans for 224,133 first-timebuyers, and since 2013 466 first-timebuyers in West Berkshire have used the Help to Buy scheme, relying on the Government to guaranteethemon average £62,327. That means in West Berkshire alone, £29m is at risk if those homeowners’ default on those loans. So, should the PrimeMinisterbe playing with the housingmarket? Ought he insteadallow openmarket forces to be applied to the property market, allowing it to find its own normal and leave the mortgage providers to

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‘Tragedy entirely of these young men’s making’ THE jury in the Pc Andrew Harper murder trial had retired to consider its verdict, at the time of NWN going to press. Three teenagers are charged with the murder of the 28-year-old police officer after he died while responding to a report of a quad bike theft in Stanford Dingley on August 15 last year. The Old Bailey has heard how his feet got caught in a strap attached to a getaway car which had been used to tow the bike, before being dragged along country roads for more than a mile. Pc Harper suffered catastrophic injuries and died at the scene near the A4. Henry Long, 19, from Mortimer, and 18-year-olds Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, from Mortimer and Aldermaston respectively, admit conspiring to steal the bike but all deny murder. Mr Long, the driver of the vehicle, has admitted manslaughter.

WELFARE checks are being carried out at a Newbury care home follow- ing complaints about the quality of care and the treatment of residents. Reviews are also being completed for all those who reside at Winchcombe Place after a number of concerns were received from concerned relatives. Care UK, the provider that runs the home on Maple Crescent, admitted the quality of care had “fallen below the high standards” it expects. It added that it would not be accept- ing new admissions for the foreseeable future, so it could focus on the care it gives to existing residents. West Berkshire Council said it had been made aware of the issues and was working with the Care Quality Commission to ensure an appropriate improvement plan was in place to keep people safe. The local authority added that it took the responsibilities of the people in its care “very seriously” and confirmed it has the ability to ter i t AN INQUIRY investigating how West Berkshire Council entered an unlaw- ful agreement to redevelop the London Road Industrial Estate (LRIE) has said that there was a piecemeal approach to the project, which lacked a clear business case and clarity over who was in charge. A report going before councillors next week said the council did not intend to act unlawfully in the saga that has cost more than £900,000. Redeveloping the LRIE has been a long-term ambition of the council and was first outlined in 2003. Six bidders were considered for the scheme and a cross-party group of councillo s and officers nanimously decided that St Modwen was the best candidate. Faraday Development Ltd (FDL) chal- lenged the decision as the council had previously approved its plans for a £50m regeneration of the estate. The permission expired and FDL submitted an identical application. However, this was refused and the council t en signed a developme t

No new admissions after multiple complaints Report by JOHN HERRING email john.herring@newburynews.co.uk twitter johnh_nwn

The balloons that had Newbury looking up A composite picture of four images taken over a period of 40 minutes of balloons rising from Donnington Grove Hotel on Saturday morning, as seen from Donnington Castle Picture by Chris Meads Mr Justice Edis summed up the case on Tuesday before the 11 jurors retired. The judge discharged one juror onMonday but said the decision did not have “anything to do with the facts of this case”. before 9am, much to the delight of onlookers who had gathered to witness the spectacle. Go to Newburytoday.co.uk for more pictures. In his closing speech, prosecutor Jonathan Laidlaw QC said: “All three of these close friends knew perfectly well that if the police sought to intervene they would drive as fast as it was possible to get away. “Escape literally at all costs. Driving that would give rise to great risks and driving at a pace which on any view killed Andrew Harper.” While they could not have set out to ensnare a police officer, there were “clear efforts” to throw him free once he became tangled in the tow rope, jurors heard. Afterwards, there were “deliberate and cynical attempts” to frustrate the investigation, it was alleged. When the defendants were charged they had “abs l t l Extra mental health support for district’s children A PROJECT to support and improve children’s mental health is being trialled in West Berkshire. Shaw high-fiving captain Jason Williams after taking a wicket in the win against North Maidenhead, they had to settle for an ‘elbow bump’ instead. It’s a whole new ball game Bowler Jimmy Shaw, right, marks taking a wicket for Falkland Cricket Cl b with a ‘new normal’ celebration Ref: 30-0420AD Berkshire West has been selected by NHS England to pilot a three-year project to run two dedicated mental health and support teams. One of l HOWZAT! for a celebration – 2020 style. League cricket returned at the weekend, but it’s not quite the same game t is year. The co i said: “I have seen first-hand the excellent work already being done in schools to support children and young people with their mental health. “These new dedicated teams will build on this, working closely with childre yo Council, Reading Borough Council and Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. Both local authority areas will have their own mental health support t A COLOURFUL array of hot air balloons floated across the skies above West Berkshire over the weekend. The annual Icicle Refrozen Balloon Meet – an informal, unsponsored event which is open to all balloonists – took place on Saturday and Sunday morning. Around 50 balloons left the Donnington Grove Hotel and Country Club shortly

only received one formal complaint, it had been contacted by multiple family members to alert them to further concerns. In a statement, the council said: “These issues have been raised by vari- ous people including the Care Quality Commission and the family and friends of residents at the home. “Once we became aware of these concerns we wanted to meet with rela- tives to inform them of the situation, to give them the opportunity to ask ques- tions and gain further information from the families about their experi- ences of care at the home. “The meeting was attended by approximately 70 family and friends of residents.” It added: “West B k In November 2018, the Court of Appeal ruled that the council had breached EU procurement law by sign- ing the contract without following the correct p ocess. The ruling did make it clear that there was “no evidence and no sugges- tion that the council had acted at any stage i b d fai h”. However, it added that by entering the agreement, the council “effectively agreed to act u l wfully in the futu e”. As a result, the agreement was declared ineffective and the council has had to start the process again. It has appointed Avison Young to work on a new development brief and masterplan for the LRIE. The total cost of the project and litiga- tion came to £946,000. The council spent £156,000 on prop- erty consultants and £58,000 on legal advice on the development agree t Report by DAN COOPER email dan.cooper@newburynews.co.uk twitter @danc_nwn

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