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Last week, Woking Borough Council's Executive agreed a pathway to implement a new Masterplan for Woking town centre which, among other sustainable place-making factors, will limit the heights of future developments in the town.
The Executive meeting supported a timetable for the implementation of a robust planning document that will introduce legal controls on future development in the area, ensuring new homes meet the needs of residents and enhance the overall appearance of the town centre.
Cllr Liam Lyons, Woking Borough Council’s Portfolio Holder for Planning, said: “I am pleased with the overwhelmingly positive feedback from the consultation process, and I am confident we will end up with a proper vision for the future of the town centre that will better reflect the preferences of local residents, while delivering a range of much needed, high quality and affordable homes.
“The national decision to overturn the local Planning Committee’s decision to refuse permission for a new 28-storey building on the Crown Place site has meant that some changes will need to be made to the Masterplan before it is ready for implementation.
“Creating the town centre Masterplan as a robust legal planning document will end the wild west culture that has allowed developers to build skyscrapers of almost limitless height. This was one of the key pledges of the new administration, and it is exciting to see it evolving as such a thorough planning document that will guide sensible development in the town centre for years to come.
“I am delighted that we are pressing ahead with the creation of a town centre Masterplan, to deliver what local people said they wanted in the recent consultation. Decisions about development in Woking, should be made here in Woking."
A report setting out options for the Masterplan’s next steps will be presented at a future meeting of the Executive for a decision.