Helen Edward, the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Kingston & Surbiton, has called on the developer seeking to build a 17 storey tower next to Surbiton Station to stop playing games and come forward with a sensible proposal.
Helen said: “The consultation on the current proposals for the Surbiton Station car park site is not sensible. A 17-storey tower next to Surbiton Station is far too tall. Too often developers play games by proposing ridiculous heights, so it looks like they have listened when coming back and reducing by a few storeys. However, 17 storeys tower is ridiculously tall, and they need to have a complete re-think before coming back to consult residents again.
“A 17-storey tower in that position would set a dangerous precedent and open up the likelihood of a further cluster of extremely tall towers in Surbiton. Other concerns with the current proposal include the tall spiral multi-storey car park entrance proposed right next to the beautiful art-deco façade on the southern side of the tracks.
“Obviously, there is a need to build more homes for local residents, especially affordable homes, but it should be a high quality design that fits in with the surroundings. Surbiton is a fantastic place to live that deserves something much better than is being proposed.”
The proposal by developer Solum is a partnership between Kier Property and Network Rail. The plans are for 243 new flats in buildings up to 17 storeys high, with a 250-space multi-storey car park replacing the 446 spaces on the current surface car park.
More details here: surbitonforward.com
