Berkeley Homes has submitted plans to Spelthorne Borough Council for a major residential scheme in Staines-upon-Thames.
The proposal continues Berkeley’s concerted push outside the capital, with the London market constrained by high transaction costs, with plans recently submitted for 1,100 homes in Watford, as well as the acquisition of the Horlicks site in Slough.
The Staines site, on London Road, has had a chequered past and some false dawns. The site was previously occupied by Centrica, which vacated the premises in 2005. The former 10-storey office building was subsequently demolished in 2008 and while a number of applications have been approved for redevelopment, the site remains cleared and vacant.
The current consented scheme, approved in 2016, includes 253 homes, all for the private market.
Under the new plan, 474 homes are proposed across six buildings, ranging from eight to 16 storeys.
While the number of homes proposed represents an 87% increase, in terms of floorspace it is just a 20% rise, as a result of the reduction in commercial space proposed by London’s biggest housebuilder.
Berkeley has committed to providing affordable housing on the site. However, the amount is unknown at this stage and will be informed by the viability assessment.
Berkeley Homes paid £33m for the site in December 2017.
According to EG’s Radius Data Exchange, which tracks planning applications across all UK local authorities, since the start of the year Berkeley has also submitted plans for major schemes in Maidenhead, Ascot and High Wycombe.
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