Wyevale Garden Centres have notified local residents of their plans to re-develop the Windlesham site for housing.

The following was spotted on The Windlesham Society website: http://www.windleshamsociety.co.uk/ 

At Wyevale we constantly review the performance of each of our Centres and the conditions in which we operate.

In this respect our Windlesham Centre is located in very close proximity to other large garden centres on London Road, including the Hillier Garden Centre, which as you are no doubt aware, is located directly next to our site.

In light of this strong local garden centre offer, we have concluded that there is an opportunity for us to consider an alternative use for our site in Windlesham. As such we have been in discussion with planning officers at Surrey Heath Borough Council (SHBC) on proposals for the redevelopment of the site to provide 15 new family homes.

We initially submitted our site for consideration to SHBC through the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA), which has identified the site as a ‘developable’ opportunity. Pre-application engagement has since been undertaken with Council officers, who have confirmed that the site is previously developed brownfield land and, as such, its redevelopment is considered acceptable.

The 15 new family homes would make a small but valuable contribution towards the Council’s overall housing requirements and include six affordable homes in accordance with SHBC policy.

Crucially, the scheme also provides a unique opportunity to improve the site’s Green Belt setting through the following benefits:
 A net decrease in the footprint of built development on the site;
 Significant reduction in the areas of hardstanding and concrete;
 The retention and increase in the amount of green space on the site;
 A substantial increase in soft landscaping across the site, including new trees;
 A significant reduction in vehicle movements and activity on and off the site, with the complete removal of HGV deliveries;
 An associated reduction of overall highway movements on London Road close to the site.

We are proposing to submit a planning application for these proposals to SHBC in the coming weeks. Prior to this we are writing to local residents to make them aware of the proposals.

Our team at the Centre is aware of the proposals, and it will remain open for business as usual.