Plans for homes on former library site rejected

Plans to turn a derelict former library in Surrey into affordable homes have been thrown out.

Reigate and Banstead Borough Council rejected the proposals for 11 shared occupancy properties on the site in Merstham over the impact it would have on a shared-access road.

A community football club and Age Concern centre both currently use Weldon Way for access.

The council's planning committee heard that using the road for the proposed homes would have had too great an impact on the existing users and could lead to potential conflict with new home owners.

The access road is also used as the emergency evacuation point for elderly people, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The former single-storey brick library building closed in 2017 when the branch was relocated to Merstham community hub.

The proposed homes would have been in two pairs of semi-detached two-storey buildings, and two terrace rows - one with three dwellings and one with four.

They would have been surrounded by a surgery, an Age Concern day centre and community hall, and Merstham recreation ground.

Councillors rejected the plans on the grounds that the layout, dominance and shared access would result in a cramped over-development that was harmful to the community.

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