Thamesway Development Ltd have put forward plans to transform a Sheerwater, post-war housing estate in Woking Surrey
The company will work on behalf of Woking Borough Council to create a vibrant, sustainable neighbourhood to meet the housing and future needs of local residents.
The masterplan will see the existing number of homes on the 30 Ha site double from 570 to around 1200, nearly half of which will be affordable, complete with community facilities, public parkland and gardens.
Mark Rolt from Thameswey Developments Ltd says: “The vision for Sheerwater is to create a desirable, attractive and highly sustainable place to live and work. A place that, through high quality design and community facilities, will reduce existing levels of deprivation and where the community can thrive into the future. The aim is to promote healthier lifestyles and create a lively neighbourhood with a real buzz.”
To maximise public space, car movement will be restricted to the perimeter of the site.
Ground-level car parks will replace multi-car forecourts with housing and ‘podium gardens’ set above.
The result will be a network of pedestrian streets, parks, squares and gardens, where children can play safely out of doors.
A new community hub, complete with local shops, doctors’ surgery, community centre and nursery, as well as existing primary and secondary schools, will all be within walking distance of the homes.
The development will consist of five distinct neighbourhoods that use a mixture of mews houses and low-rise apartment buildings, each overlooking landscaped gardens or parkland.
The neighbourhoods will be built with everyone in mind, from one-bed studios up to five-bed family houses, including homes for the elderly, people with disabilities and sharers.
Chris Kenny, BDP housing architect, says: “We needed to increase the number of homes but also wanted to maximise the public spaces at the same time. Surrey has high levels of car ownership so we have created car parks with gardens above them and moved the roads to the perimeter of the neighbourhood.”
Sustainable methods for heating and electricity will be housed underneath the buildings to service the entire neighbourhood.
Energy usage for each home will be minimised with the use of enhanced insulation, extensive solar panels and low energy lighting.
Electric car charging is also incorporated into the house and apartment designs.
