Sir, It is a shame to hear of the demise of a local business after 70 years. But I couldn’t help but notice from an old picture that the Volvo Garage in Newbury Street, Wantage, was originally a row of cottages with its roofs and the charming end-of-terrace ‘Bingie Cottage’ still surviving.
Wouldn’t it be nice if Mr Shepherd could put back a set of cottages similar to what existed before? This would be good for Wantage, much better than the block of flats he is suggesting and probably easily obtain the planning permission he is eagerly seeking. Also, there would still be sufficient space at the rear for a reasonable size commercial enterprise.
People don’t really want flats. It comes down to buying what is affordable and developers maximising profits by squeezing in as many units as possible into a given site.
Perhaps a member of Facebook ‘Old Wantage’ could provide Mr Shepherd with a photo of what the houses looked like before being sacrificed to convert into a garage.
Terry Randall
Grove Street
Wantage
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