It might be hard to imagine at the moment, but by the summer the first residents of the new Holmethorpe development could be moving in. Now the relief road is complete and much of the groundwork done, demolition of the old sand quarry works on the Mere Park site has begun to make way for what developer Linden Homes is calling a waterside community'.

The new estate, officially named Water-Colour, will be a 498-home development with a nursing home, veterinary surgery, children's day nursery, medical centre, community hall and various commercial units. Phase one will be built close to the Nutfield Road entrance to the site and show homes, displaying the apartments and houses ranging from one-bedroom apartments to four-bedroom houses with prices starting from £185,000 will open in a few months time.

Chris O'Sullivan, Linden Homes' major projects director, said: "The mix we have got will create a vibrant community for the people of Merstham. We have put a lot into the scheme and put a lot into developing off-site works. Now we can get on with the development that has been planned for years."

The development will fund the long-awaited relief road, linking Holmethorpe Industrial Estate to the A23 between Merstham and Redhill. It is being themed around water and will feature lagoons and green space which will be managed as a nature reserve. Initially visitors and potential residents will access the site through the Nutfield Road entrance and construction traffic via Trowers Way. It is hoped the road which links the two will be built by 2007. The entire development should be completed by 2010. Linden Homes says it is working hard to ensure residents and nearby businesses know what is going on.

Derek Hammersley, chairman of Merstham Residents' Association, said discussions are working well. He added: "There is no reluctance on their Linden Homes part to make time to answer our questions and we are reasonably happy with the way it is going. We have got a good working relationship."

Martin Burr, from Holmethorpe Estate Association, said: "We ask questions and sometimes they do not always have the answers, but they go and find out. The relief road is great. The contractors did exactly what they said they were going to do. However, now we've had this honeymoon period where all the ground remedial works have been done and there has not been a lot of movement because they stay on site, what we are now experiencing is the start of the building work which starts with the demolition of the sand processing plant. Later we are going to have a different scenario. We are going to have the building materials which will all come in via the relief road. Secondly we have the builders and sub contractors who are going to be doing the job. Our feeling is we have not got to the really busy stage yet and we reserve judgement until the 7.30am-9am furore. One thing we have noticed is there is a high percentage of private vehicles coming down the relief road through the estate but not coming to work."

The 27-hectare site is just minutes away from Park 25, St Anne's Drive, where a further 500 homes have been approved. This development worries Mr Burr. He added: "Our estate will not take the additional residential traffic from Park 25."

Water-Colour was given planning permission last May. In December 2004 the 1,700-tonne Holmethorpe Bridge was lifted into place. The bridge enabled the relief road, first discussed around 20 years ago, to be built.

Cara Lovell

© Redhill & Reigate Life: February 2006

The Relief Road is now open and Linden have moved into the Holmethorpe Estate with a super Project Office on the site opposite Risbridger.  Nice to see lots and lots of planting going in.  It should look pretty next year. 

The new housing estate has been officially renamed WATER-COLOUR.

If you are wondering why work has not yet commenced.  The reason is that the planned DYNAMIC COMPACTION process has been rejected by planners and residents as being too noisy and causing too much vibration and damage to nearby properties.  Linden have reverted back to Plan B – VIBRO COMPACTION and work started in late October. 

Revised planning permission is now being sought for the initial 14 houses which will form the sales area of their site up by the Nutfield Road entrance.  We are advised that homes will be ready from Spring 2006. 

It should be remembered however that part of the planning approval means that ALL heavy construction traffic will use the new relief road – but inevitably the workforce will use whatever is convenient i.e. Frenches Road and Nutfield Road.  We shall wait and see what effect this has on our estate roads.