Fears ‘relaxing’ Egham to become ‘playground for developers’ due to …
Further building development has been given the go ahead on a brownfield site near Egham train station. The development is hoped to bring a new lease of life to the empty offices, which were rented out regularly before the pandemic.
Formerly used as office blocks called Nexus, the site will have 58 flats over five floors with commercial[1] units on the ground floor, hoped to bring more jobs to the area. It will have 10 parking spaces associated with the flats, and is expected to be a sustainable and energy efficient dwelling, says developers Kier Property.
A councillor for the town, however, feels “dismayed” at the lack of affordable housing in Egham[2]. Those already living in Egham feel “doctors and parking is going to be the biggest issue”, and worry that potential buyers might not be able to afford the new flats.
Cllr Sam Jenkins is a member of the Planning Committee, and objected to the application for the flats, telling SurreyLive he has “mixed feelings” on it. While he felt pleased that the block could include three bedroom flats for families, he feels there is “a complete absence of affordable housing in a time when there is a cost of living crisis, alongside a difficult rental market.”
“Furthermore the suitability of the car parking provision of 10 spaces compared to the number of residential units, 58, is highly questionable. Following a lengthy debate at the committee meeting, I decided to vote against the application.”
SurreyLive asked those who already live in Egham via a private residents group how they feel about the development, with concerns over infrastructure and GP services being a common theme. One said: “It’s appalling how many residential places are being built here. Traffic and parking and infrastructure are one thing but doctors, school places etc is what will affect us more as a community. Very sad to see what has happened here. Used to be very relaxing here but now feels like a playground for developers.”
Egham is served by The Grove GP Surgery, and the Hythe Medical Centre. The town has recently seen a huge transformation, with the introduction of the Magna Square[4] development. This introduced 34 affordable flats, 67 apartments for private sale or rent, and 100 rooms as well as restaurants, shops and cafes to the town, creating more jobs in the area.
Another resident added: “Egham, with the amount of students, has always been relatively high density, with loads of HMOs (house in multiple occupancy) and students[5] in the halls coming to town. Continuing that density is something that should be expected, and new residents should be welcomed.
"Small families, especially those who start without children, can mostly get around without a car if they want - students do, so others can too. The big problem, as others have said, is schools, GPs, and other infrastructure. We should be pushing for the infrastructure to support people needing homes, rather than chasing them away."
However, not everyone is opposed to the development, with others excited at the new prospect. One wrote: “Fantastic news, every little helps with the housing shortage.”
Leigh Thomas, Group managing director at Kier Property commented: “I am delighted that Runnymede Borough Council has approved our proposals. Our plans will see much-needed homes developed in the area and aligns with Kier Property’s strategy of regenerating underutilised land and buildings, replacing them with highly sustainable homes and structures that help generate new jobs and create communities for the future.”
References
- ^ commercial (www.getsurrey.co.uk)
- ^ Egham (www.getsurrey.co.uk)
- ^ Families with special needs children use savings and holiday money to pay for care (www.getsurrey.co.uk)
- ^ Magna Square (www.getsurrey.co.uk)
- ^ students (www.getsurrey.co.uk)