Green light for 456 new homes on former gasworks

Plans for more than 450 new homes on a former gasworks site in Surrey have been approved.

The former SGN Gasworks site in East Street, Epsom, will see all of its buildings and infrastructure demolished to be redeveloped.

The development will include five high rise blocks, ranging from eight to 12 storeys tall, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A performing arts centre, educational buildings and an open public garden are also included in the plans.

Epsom and Ewell Borough Council approved the application on Thursday.

Of the proposed 456 homes, 46 will be social rent units and 21 wheelchair accessible, according to planning documents.

Overall, 210 will be one-bedroom, 180 will be two-bedroom, and 66 will be three-bedroom units.

At the meeting, concerns were raised about the impact on nearby residents, and about the 68 car parking spaces provided for the 456 homes.

Officers said fewer parking bays would help "champion a change in attitude" to using cars and support the council's "ambitious target" of becoming carbon neutral by 2035.

But some councillors said it was "unrealistic" to demand people to change their motor habits by restricting parking spaces.

The applicants argued the development, a 10 minute walk from Epsom railway station, would be an immensely sustainable location.

The site, in East Street, was formerly the home of the Epsom and Ewell Gas Company, established in 1847.

It was used as gas works for more than 150 years, according to documents, while a separate application for the same site said the storage facility for natural gas had been "permanently decommissioned and purged".

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