Mere Park Development

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Holmethorpe adds a little Water-Colour to Merstham
Tuesday 21st February 2006

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

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WATER-COLOUR
Tuesday 13th December 2005

Linden Homes 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 Linden Homes 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.

Source: HEA News Winter 2005 www.holmethorpe.org

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Housing Go-Ahead
Friday 28th October 2005

Linden Homes has recently received the go-ahead from the planning department of Reigate and Banstead Borough Council to commence the building of the development known as Mere Park at Holmethorpe Quarry.
It is understood that the housing, the first phase of which will be available from the spring of 2006, will be released under the marketing name of Water Colours.
Eventually, a total of 498 homes will be built at the location, ranging from one bedroom flats to four bedroom detached houses. Among these will be 147 properties designated as affordable housing, for rent, common shared ownership or discounted home ownership.
Included in the development will be a medical centre, with three doctors� consulting rooms, a general use community facility, a veterinary surgery, nursing home, cr�che and other commercial properties, all at the heart of the mixed use area.
Projections anticipate the overall building programme to be completed during the first half of 2009.The scheme has been designed to minimise parking problems with the provisions of off-street parking. Linden Homes will fund public transport travel vouchers to each new household, as well as subsidising the bus service.It is hoped that these measures, coupled with extensive cycle routes and easy access to Merstham and Redhill town centres, will diminish the reliance on motor cars.
In addition, seven and a half acres of land have been reserved for public open space incorporating communal gardens, parks and equipped children�s play area. A further 25 acres of undeveloped land next to the Moors and the Redhill Brook, incorporating green space and lagoons, has been given to Surrey Wildlife Trust to manage as a nature reserve.

Source: Borderlines; Surrey Mirror 27th October 2005
� Trinity Mirror 2005

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Ground Improvement Works
Sunday 21st August 2005

After last month�s decision by Reigate and Banstead Borough Council to grant full planning permission to Linden Homes for the Mere Park Development at Holmethorpe Quarry, ground improvement works duly commenced at the end of last month.

The approval was conditional with the proviso that a community centre was included in the proposals for the development and that the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister did not consider the application to be a departure from the Local Plan and that the terms of the Section 106 Agreement were finalised.

Ground improvement works are taking place between 8am and 6pm each day Monday to Friday.

The development is to be phased, which means that difference sections of the site will be started and completed at different times.

However, based on current projections the contractors anticipate completing the whole development during the first half of the year 2009. The first residential properties, including affordable housing, will be available for sale with effect from the spring of 2006.

Latest News
Decision Deferred
Friday 15th April 2005

At a committee meeting with the Reigate & Banstead Council on Wednesday 13th April the decision to grant planning permission to the developers, Linden Homes, was deferred until the next meeting (11th May 2005). The Council were very concerned about the lack of medical facilities and urged the developers to look into this, which they agreed to do. There will be another site meeting later this month prior to the next committee meeting.

Application Reference: 04/02411/F

Address: Land At Holmethorpe Quarry (Mere Park) Near Redhill Surrey RH1 2LH

Type of information	Detail
Proposal	498 dwellings, light industrial units, local shop, veterinary surgery, nursing care home, children's day nursery, open space for recreation, nature conservation/enhancement, ancillary highway works at Trowers Way and Nutfield Road and demolition of Ormside Bungalow.
Applicant	Linden New Homes Ltd Linden House Guards Avenue The Village Caterham-on-the-Hill Surrey CR3 5ZB
Agent	Patricia Willoughby David Lock Associates Ltd 50 North Thirteenth Street Central Milton Keynes Bucks MK9 3BP
Date Registered	07-Oct-2004
Target Date	02-Dec-2004
Decision Date
Decision
Delegation Level	Planning Committee
Further Information	Contact the Helpline on 01737 276000
Appeal Date

Stages	Detail
Current stage	Stage 4
	Assessment
Stage 1	Application registered: Shows that an application has been input into the councils planning system.
Stage 2	Initial neighbour notification: Is the period when neighbours and other consultees are contacted.
Stage 3	Site inspection: Indicates that a planning officer has made a site visit.
Stage 4	Assessment: Is the period when a planning officer is considering all the details of an application in order to form an initial opinion.
Stage 5	Preparation of report: This indicates that a report is being prepared: � Delegated report: for simple applications � Report to committee: for large or complex applications
Stage 6	Decision issued: Indicates that a decision notice has been issued.
	Please note that it is policy to publicise and consult on all planning applications. Where applicable, the earliest date for the application to be determined is dependent upon all publicity and consultation periods having expired.

Residents� Objections
Borderlines � Surrey Mirror � Thursday January 20^th 2005

Merstham Residents� Association is to object in the strongest possible terms to the recent planning application submitted by Linden Homes for an increase of homes to be built on the proposed Mere Park development on land at Holmethorpe Quarry.
The new application, which is to be determined within the next two months, is for 498 properties � a 25 per cent increase on the original 400 which was initially agreed for the site.
The Residents� Association�s objections are not based on the number of dwellings alone, but on a number of relevant points connected to the overall development.
The local infrastructure is a main concern, with severe doubts that roads, schools, doctors, dentists and hospitals can sustain this new development without having a detrimental effect on the quality of life experienced by existing Merstham residents.
Another major bone of contention is the change of balance of the development as a whole, with the elimination of larger properties originally envisaged for the site.
The prestigious homes that would have maintained the development and the area in general in terms of standards, are no longer included. Also of further concern is the absence of sufficient detail with regard to the bund (embankment) behind the residential properties in Nutfield Road and Orpin Road originally agreed with Linden Homes.
Other issues being raised are the traffic management measures in respect of the Battlebridge Lane and New Battlebridge Lane location, and the fears that the new development will adversely affect statutory services including gas, electricity, water supply and foul sewer and surface water systems.
The already existing lack of places in local schools also give rise to much concern as does the lack of spaces at doctors� surgeries, and dentists, of which there is only one NHS practice in the area.
It would seem that there is indeed much discussion needed and assurances offered before a mutual understanding is agreed.