Up to 280 homes planned in mega revamp of old Surrey office block
The old Hersham Place Technology Park could see the former offices transformed into homes, as major redevelopment plans have been revealed.
The mega revamp aims to transform the site into a neighbourhood of up to 280 homes, complete with open green space and potentially even a doctor’s surgery.
Developer Berkeley Homes has submitted a hybrid planning application for the brownfield site off Molesey Road and Queensway.
The plan would see the 1980s office blocks, once home to Air Products, demolished and replaced with a mix of houses and flats.
A community building is also included in the scheme, with hopes it could host a doctor’s surgery if a deal is struck with the NHS.
The five-hectare site, which has been largely empty for some time, would be built in two phases. The first phase, which Berkeley is seeking full permission for, focuses on new housing.
The second phase would include more homes and flexible business or community space, with detailed designs to come later.
Outline plans state up 280 homes are being put forward by the developers, with full details to come later in the planning process.
But application documents hint that the scheme will be around 40 per cent homes and around 60 per cent flats or maisonettes.
According to planning documents, the development would sit around a new ‘village green’ at the heart of the site, with play areas and open spaces designed to bring the community together.
The scheme also draws inspiration from Hersham’s history, with parts of the design reflecting the area’s industrial past, including nods to factories like Air Products and Vickers Armstrong.
If approved, the plans would breathe new life into what the developer calls an “underused” brownfield site, which they argue is perfectly placed near shops, schools, and transport links in Hersham’s centre.
Berkeley Homes said the proposals have been shaped through months of talks with councillors, residents, and Surrey County Council.
The company argues the project ticks all the right boxes under national planning rules, pointing out that Elmbridge can currently only show a 0.9-year housing land supply, far below the government’s five-year target.
The shortfall means there is a tilted balance in favour of approving suitable housing developments like this one.
Alongside housing, the scheme would bring new landscaping, improved drainage, and a boost to local biodiversity.
But the developer has confirmed there are no plans for any affordable housing, with viability reports claiming there could be around a £22.6m deficit if every home is sold on the market.
The proposed GP surgery has been welcomed locally, though it isn’t guaranteed, it depends on the NHS reaching a lease agreement with Berkeley.
If it goes ahead, the scheme would see the creation of several new character areas, including Hersham Lodge, a redesigned entrance off Molesey Road featuring a landmark building, Lodge Green, a village-style green space surrounded by homes, and Queensway Villas, which pays homage to this through the warehouse architectural style.
Elmbridge Borough Council will consider the application in the coming months. Residents can comment on the application until November 21.