A three day exhibition opens in Newbury Library today showing details of a proposed pavilion for Newbury’s Victoria Park, along with displays about potential future upgrades to the adjacent Wharf area. The exhibition will demonstrate how the project has developed following the public consultation carried out in 2007.

I thought it was going to be big - but its bigger and far uglier than I expected.  

Good points - the trees and boating pond seem to survive i.e. its not much like the concept everyone apparently voted for.

Is this all they are releasing?  What about the changing rooms building? How about internal layout? How is it supposed to work? No plan to show how much of the park it takes up?

Quoted from blackdog

Is this all they are releasing?  What about the changing rooms building? How about internal layout? How is it supposed to work? No plan to show how much of the park it takes up?

Bloody ugly.  £6,000,000.00 for this vomit.

At a media briefing on Tuesday, the councillor responsible for the project, Pamela Bale (Con Bangbourne) said that residents views expressed at the three-day exhibition would be taken into account “where possible”, but that consultation results showed most people wanted a building in the park.

In other words, once funding is secure it will be built.

Well, the most popular parts of the park seems to have disappeared, The children's play area and the skateboard area.

What a monstrosity, "Thunderbirds are go". We should be pleased that Scott and Virgil have moved their headquarters from Tracy Island to Newbury. I look forward to Lady Penelope opening the complex if they get planning permission as no doubt they will.

An architect well entrenched in the sixties by the style of the design although he may be a cricket fan and spent too much time at Lord's cricket ground.

What a surprise, it's only largely going to take up the some of 15 foot of bank and muddy area that are currently unused.

Looks like the new objection to it will be "I don't like the look of it".

The lucky thing for the vocal few against any sort of progression in Newbury seems to be that they're out-of-towners who never set foot in the park so they won't ever see it.

Quoted from user23.3

What a surprise, it's only largely going to take up the some of 15 foot of bank and muddy area that are currently unused.

Looks like the new objection to it will be "I don't like the look of it".

The lucky thing for the vocal few against any sort of progression in Newbury seems to be that they're out-of-towners who never set foot in the park so they won't ever see it.

A 'townies' (there, lets get all playground about it) post like yours is hardly surprising either.  By the way, I do visit there and it is not muddy, but I suppose townies like you are scared of a bit of soil.

Realise this, I went to the little exhibition in the town hall entrance sometime back and I largely supported the idea, but not this hideous pathological carbuncle.

Newbury - the home of the incongruous, ugly and tacky.

Yuck. Compltely out of place anywhere in the park. It would fit in perfectly with the Vodafone building at Shaw, but in the park, no. If it had to go into the centre of Newbury, next to the library would be best.

Just my tuppence worth.

Quoted from user23.3

What a surprise, it's only largely going to take up the some of 15 foot of bank and muddy area that are currently unused.

You obviously haven't looked at the plans carefully enough. Try superimposing a view using Google Earth and you will see that your impression that it fits the muddy bank is somewhat incorrect

Quoted from user23.3

Looks like the new objection to it will be "I don't like the look of it".

A very good reason.

Quoted from user23.3

The lucky thing for the vocal few against any sort of progression in Newbury seems to be that they're out-of-towners who never set foot in the park so they won't ever see it.

You are so wrong there.

Hmmm....beginning to wonder if Sutton Griffin are all designed-out after the punishing schedule of the racecourse, Stirling Skycraper, Faraday Folly, The People's Glorious Shopping Centre of Cartergrad, St Barts, Camp Hopson (revamp and furniture store), BT Tower (yes, I know....you'd think they've got some discount cladding from Travis Perkins)

That's the only reason I can think of why someone would want to build an airport departure lounge on a park.

I've made up my mind that this project is to be cancelled....I want to see a design competition (monitored by the UN of course, WBC's results would make Hamed Karzai shudder)

I like it.

Here's the government's take on these kinds of things (Note 41 from PPG1).

One of the principles of sustainable development is to involve the community in developing the vision for its area. Communities should be asked to offer ideas about what that vision should be, and how it can be achieved.Where there are external constraints that may impact on the vision and future development of the area (for example, those that may arise from planning policies set at the regional or national level) these should be made clear
from the outset. Local communities should be given the opportunity to participate fully in the process for drawing up specific plans or policies and to be consulted on proposals for development. Local authorities, through their community strategies and local development documents, and town and parish councils, through parish plans, should play a key role in developing full and active community involvement in their areas.

Looks OK to me too, to be honest. Not entirely sure why we need it, but if the Greenham Common Trust free up some of their land and end up paying a fair chunk of the hefty bill it's OK with me.

I'm more concerned about what what happens to the Waterside, particularly in terms of replacing the existing facilities.  Provision for young people's activities in the town centre seems to be taking very much a second place to 'the arts'.  

It's going to happen, though, and the dire quality most of the complainers' comments here so far will simply persuade the council that the usual and handful of anonymous nerds, nutters and anoraks are reacting in their usual predictable and unrepresentative way.  Just saying.

Quoted from noobree

I'm more concerned about what what happens to the Waterside, particularly in terms of replacing the existing facilities.  Provision for young people's activities in the town centre seems to be taking very much a second place to 'the arts'.

Take another look at the plans, the youth facilities are there - apart from a canoe store in Northcroft this building is the new youth facility.  If this is built the Waterside is doomed to be replaced by another block of flats.

Quoted from blackdog

If this is built the Waterside is doomed to be replaced by another block of flats.

Executive Waterside Apartments, you mean?