Woking: Sheerwater residents consulted on estate's future

People living on a council estate are being asked their views on the future, after rebuilding plans were halted due to council financial problems.

Plans to regenerate Sheerwater failed when Woking Borough Council declared itself effectively bankrupt leaving the incomplete 1,200 home scheme in limbo.

The council said it would seek to finish work already being carried out.

The authority's deputy leader said the shelving of the plans was "bitterly disappointing".

Woking Borough Council began regeneration work on the 1950s estate in 2018, with the building of a new leisure centre on the grounds of Bishop David Brown School.

It began building new blocks of flats, and most were still under construction when the council was forced to stop all new spending, issuing a section 114 notice due to debts approaching £2.6bn and a deficit of £1.2bn

Its company, ThamesWey, will not start any new development and instead the council is writing to the 1,300 households still living in Sheerwater for their views on what should happen with the remainder of the site, and the vacant properties previously earmarked for demolition.

A resident who has lived in Sheerwater for 30 years said: "We never wanted this regeneration.

"We would have liked the flats and the shops done, that was the only bit that needed regenerating. Now, that's the only bit that's not been done and we're going to be stuck with them.

"It has been a complete nightmare."

She said living in the permanent building site had been awful with "big massive cranes" and construction noise going on all day.

Will Forster, Woking Borough Council's deputy leader, said: "It's bitterly disappointing the financial situation has put a stop to the plans for Sheerwater.

"I feel immensely sad and frustrated for the residents who are living through the regeneration and are now once again, faced with a great deal of uncertainty.

"The council is committed to listening to the views of residents and wants to involve those living in Sheerwater in what happens next."

The consultation runs until 17 September, and is available on Woking Borough Council's website.

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