Business
Newbury people may now be occupying their minds with the new Parkway development, but architects Sutton Griffin have had it central to their thoughts for more than two decades.
The Newbury-based practice has been working on the Parkway scheme for years – it being the latest of many projects they have carried out in the town since the 1950s.
Newbury people are very familiar with their work even if they do not realise it, with many landmarks such as The Newbury Library, The Camp Hopson Furniture Store, Town Mills, Weavers Walk and the Waitrose supermarket amongst the 40 buildings they have completed in the town centre.
Parkway forms part of West Berkshire Council’s Newbury 2025 Vision. The scheme was originally conceived by the practice with The Shearer Property Group, who teamed up with Standard Life Investments to deliver the project after winning a competition instigated by the council.
“Parkway is designed to suit a market town,” explained Patrick Griffin, the chairman of the practice. “It is not a mall but two new streets with living space above bringing maybe 500 or more people into town centre living. Other similar schemes are dominated by multi-story car parks but by placing all the car spaces below ground every occupant of the living space has access to garden areas and many of the apartments have private terraces.
“Parkway is expected to deliver several hundred new jobs for Newbury and I think the influx of visitors will bring fresh benefits for other Newbury retailers.”
Mr Griffin was keen to stress that while he was heavily involved in the original Parkway concept, much of the credit for the detailed work goes to Ian Blake, the design director at Sutton Griffin, technical director Simon Turl, and the rest of the team.
The practice was founded by Patrick Griffin’s great uncle, Basil Sutton, a century ago and was run by Mr Griffin’s father, John, until 1980. Patrick joined in the 1970s and has subsequently been joined by Simon Turl and Ian Blake, now the joint managing directors, and Robert James and Chris Trickey, project directors. The practice currently works in a converted barn in Welford, north west of Newbury, and from London offices in the West End.
As the first century of operation drew to a close, Sutton Griffin became the first UK architectural practice to become part of a property consultancy when it merged into what is now Carter Jonas. This gives it a national presence delivering more work to the teams at Welford and allows the practice, in conjunction with the other divisions of Carter Jonas, to provide a full range of property expertise.
Sutton Griffin’s work is not confined to Berkshire or even the UK. Among the practice’s most well known previous work, Patrick Griffin can cite the largest mosque in Western Europe, selected by The Independent as one of the 10 best modern religious buildings in the world. Other works include offices for Vodafone across the UK, schools, surgeries, and residential care homes.
The future for Sutton Griffin looks as bright as it does for Newbury, although Mr Griffin said that Newbury was still very much work in progress as The Vision has another 13 years to go. Meantime Sutton Griffin intends to stay with its roots in Newbury, but to grow to meet changing times and markets using the national coverage of their partners at Carter Jonas.
The Newbury-based practice has been working on the Parkway scheme for years – it being the latest of many projects they have carried out in the town since the 1950s.
Newbury people are very familiar with their work even if they do not realise it, with many landmarks such as The Newbury Library, The Camp Hopson Furniture Store, Town Mills, Weavers Walk and the Waitrose supermarket amongst the 40 buildings they have completed in the town centre.
Parkway forms part of West Berkshire Council’s Newbury 2025 Vision. The scheme was originally conceived by the practice with The Shearer Property Group, who teamed up with Standard Life Investments to deliver the project after winning a competition instigated by the council.
“Parkway is designed to suit a market town,” explained Patrick Griffin, the chairman of the practice. “It is not a mall but two new streets with living space above bringing maybe 500 or more people into town centre living. Other similar schemes are dominated by multi-story car parks but by placing all the car spaces below ground every occupant of the living space has access to garden areas and many of the apartments have private terraces.
“Parkway is expected to deliver several hundred new jobs for Newbury and I think the influx of visitors will bring fresh benefits for other Newbury retailers.”
Mr Griffin was keen to stress that while he was heavily involved in the original Parkway concept, much of the credit for the detailed work goes to Ian Blake, the design director at Sutton Griffin, technical director Simon Turl, and the rest of the team.
The practice was founded by Patrick Griffin’s great uncle, Basil Sutton, a century ago and was run by Mr Griffin’s father, John, until 1980. Patrick joined in the 1970s and has subsequently been joined by Simon Turl and Ian Blake, now the joint managing directors, and Robert James and Chris Trickey, project directors. The practice currently works in a converted barn in Welford, north west of Newbury, and from London offices in the West End.
As the first century of operation drew to a close, Sutton Griffin became the first UK architectural practice to become part of a property consultancy when it merged into what is now Carter Jonas. This gives it a national presence delivering more work to the teams at Welford and allows the practice, in conjunction with the other divisions of Carter Jonas, to provide a full range of property expertise.
Sutton Griffin’s work is not confined to Berkshire or even the UK. Among the practice’s most well known previous work, Patrick Griffin can cite the largest mosque in Western Europe, selected by The Independent as one of the 10 best modern religious buildings in the world. Other works include offices for Vodafone across the UK, schools, surgeries, and residential care homes.
The future for Sutton Griffin looks as bright as it does for Newbury, although Mr Griffin said that Newbury was still very much work in progress as The Vision has another 13 years to go. Meantime Sutton Griffin intends to stay with its roots in Newbury, but to grow to meet changing times and markets using the national coverage of their partners at Carter Jonas.
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