US multi-family giant Cortland has secured its second UK development, joining the growing number of developers building skyscrapers in the centre of the commuter belt in Woking, Surrey.
It has submitted an environmental impact assessment for a twin-towered scheme reaching up to 30 storeys, with the potential for up to 350 flats alongside retail and leisure uses on the former BHS store site at 81 Commercial Way.
The 0.7-acre site was being sold by Doorlane Ltd. If it is built it will be the fourth major scheme to propose high-rise towers in the town centre and around the station, which is less than 25 minutes from Waterloo, SE1.
The council is leading the way with its development of Victoria Square shopping centre (main image), which includes three towers of 34, 30 and 23 storeys for 390 flats and a 196-bedroom hotel.
Next door, Coplan Estates has recently been announced as development partner for the Woking Gateway site, where plans for 476 flats in three towers are being drawn up.
Willmott Dixon has submitted plans for 560 flats at 20-32 Goldsworth Road, which include 34, 25, 20 and 17-storey towers at its Prime Place development.
If all these schemes are built it would mean 10 or more towers over 20 storeys in the town centre, and 1,776 flats.
The GLA is keen to encourage councils outside of London where transport links can support densification to take some of the strain of the capital’s housing crisis.
Alongside this, developers wary of planning delays, high land prices and declining house prices in London have been looking for new destinations with access to the capital that are not subject to the same strains.
Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, Luton, Bedfordshire and Slough, Berkshire, have also seen new development as a result.
Cortland made its UK rental debut in January, buying UK developer Orion Land & Leisure.
Its first scheme in Watford, Hertfordshire, has planning for 485 flats.
The Atlanta-based company owns and manages 45,000 units in the US and is one of the fastest-growing multi-family operators, with plants to develop 10,000 homes in the UK over the next five years.
Paul Wrights, executive vice president of finance and development, said: “This new community will provide much needed housing in a key location, which boasts great transport links to the home counties and is just 30 minutes from London Waterloo. We will be submitting planning later this year.”
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