Tall & Urban News

The face of Surrey is changing with major developments and redevelopments across the county ongoing, even in the face of the pandemic.

Various projects are either in the pipeline or under way in nearly every Surrey town including Guildford, Caterham, Woking, Camberley, Redhill, and Ewell. 

Millions of pounds have been pumped into regeneration schemes and the county will almost certainly have a very different look and feel to it come their respective completion dates.

That is not to mention the large-scale regeneration works to transform Surrey's neighboring Hampshire towns of Farnborough and Aldershot over the next few years.

Whether by popular demand or opposed, redevelopments featuring cinemas, hotels, and housing are set to be completed in the 2020s.

The major projects are listed below.

Victoria Square, Woking

On track for phased completion in 2021, the project will see the construction of a 34 story and a 23 story high-rise tower. They will feature apartments and an external garden and amenity space for their occupants.

A 23-story hotel, including a sky bar, also forms part of the plans along with a Marks & Spencer store and a rebuilt multi-story car park.

Caterham's piecemeal regeneration
 
A group representing more than 200 businesses in Caterham has funded its own designs for transforming the street scene in Croydon Road.

The Croydon Road Regeneration Scheme would see the pavement widened on one side of the road and the planting of trees to improve air quality and give people some sort of barrier between them and the road as they sip a coffee.

Public feedback is being sought at the moment before a business case is put together.

Separate to that, a planning application has been submitted for the redevelopment of Church Walk Shopping Centre which would see some of the buildings along Station Avenue demolished.

An ongoing Lidl development in Croydon Road and the council's longer-term aim of refurbishing Quadrant House, also in Croydon Road, could see the town center looking very different in a few years.

London Road, Camberley

The huge London Road development will feature new homes and retail and commercial spaces.

Its aim is to improve Camberley's gateway appearance from the A30, on the north side of the town centre.

However, the council added that it is likely to take a further eight to 10 years until completion. That is due to the “size and complexity” of the development, with demolition work of the existing area still around two years away.

Weyside Urban Village, Guildford

The Weyside Urban Village in Slyfield will see the construction of 1,500 new homes alongside the River Wey to meet Guildford's housing need.

The project will also see the waste transfer depot relocated to open up access to the river, as well as new neighbourhood facilities and a dedicated nature reserve.

Part of the Guildford local plan, the site aims to create new work and commercial spaces for new and existing businesses over the next 10 years.

Bridge Street Car Park and Hanover House, Staines
 
Bridge Street Car Park and Hanover House in Staines are set to be redeveloped into a four-star hotel complex.

The Arora Group plans to develop the hotel as a mixed use development, with plans for over 300 guest rooms, a spa, restaurants, bars, leisure areas, shops plus conferencing and banqueting facilities. This will sit alongside serviced apartments and residential units.

It is expected to create around 350 new jobs for the area.

The redevelopment had been on hold for a couple of years following previous developers Bellway Homes pulling out of the project.

Guildford town centre plan to build homes and new bus station

Transforming the North Street area of the town has been a long-term intention for the Guildford Borough Council, which has earmarked the plot for strategic development under the adopted Local Plan.

New homes will be built as well as a new bus station, replacing the Friary one, alongside public spaces and a mix of shops, bars, and leisure facilities.

At the moment, the number of homes and the scale of the build has not been revealed by the council despite a previous number of 400 homes being rumored, but that may not be the case now.

Marketfield Way, Redhill
 
Demolition work on the Marketfield Way development began in January earlier in 2020.

Plans have stuttered since Reigate and Banstead Borough Council (RBBC) was given the green light in January 2017 to revamp a large portion of the town center with a new cinema, restaurants, shops and homes.

But work continues with the existing buildings along the High Street having come down. Along with the redevelopment of the former Liquid Envy site at the town's stationside road entrance, it will create a brand new impression of Redhill as you enter the town from Redstone Hill.

Guildford railway station

A composite shot of what the new station Solum develpment might look like (Image: Rock Hunter Ltd).

The controversial £150 million (US$194 million) redevelopment of Guildford railway station is expected to be completed around 2025.

The scheme and new Station Quarter will seek to provide more than 400 "high-quality new homes" and generate more than 300 new jobs, but it has previously been met with staunch opposition.

Developer Solum says that the scheme will generate £25 million (US$32 million) of station enhancements and deliver a modernized station building, a plaza aimed to reduce congestion, improved taxi drop-offs, enhanced retail/café and a larger ticket hall.

Epsom & Ewell High School

An artist's impression of the Buckthorn Grange development in Ewell, where construction work is currently underway.

Work started earlier this year on a 136-home development on Epsom and Ewell High School land.

Built on school playing fields, the developments have divided opinion, between those believing it will be a good opportunity to bring in further school funding, and those who object to the increasing urbanization of the area.

The housing will be called Buckthorn Grange, and include a mixture of two and three-bedroom houses and two-bedroom apartments. A total of 65 of the homes will be classed as affordable housing.

For more on this story, go to Surrey Live.