After years of planning and consultation, the first diggers have begun work on the multi-million pound regeneration of the Sheerwater estate. Teams broke ground to start building a state-of-the-art leisure complex as part of the Canalside development. Continue reading
ThamesWey is 20 this year and proud to be celebrating two decades of building sustainable communities. Our work in low-carbon power generation, energy advice, affordable housing and property development is driven by one fundamental principle – to build neighbourhoods that benefit everyone.
After 13 years of lying unused, ThamesWey has started work to bring this former office building back into use.
Lying at the edge of Woking town centre, 121 Chertsey Road will be transformed from disused office space into 25 new apartments. The development is being delivered in partnership with Management and Construction Services Ltd.
The building will be connected to ThamesWey’s Woking town centre District Heat Network to reduce the buildings carbon footprint and thereby improve the environmental performance.
The new year has seen the completion of the ground and first floors.
More information will be available as the development progresses.
New residential development Harrington Place is emerging from scaffolding and builders’ coverings as it nears completion. The architecturally striking building in Heathside Crescent brings 147 stunning rental apartments to a prime town centre location. Continue reading
Work on the Canalside regeneration of Sheerwater will begin soon, after the latest plans were approved by Woking Borough Council.
This major project will create nearly 1200 new homes, almost half of which will be affordable housing. The old 1950s housing stock will be replaced with a variety of high quality new homes for rent and sale that are energy efficient and cater for people through all stages of life.
In preparation for an early start to construction, empty property has been secured and made safe.
Woking Borough Council’s Planning Committee last night approved the latest hybrid planning application submitted by ThamesWey Developments Ltd. It gives consent for up to 1,142 homes with detailed consent for 695 of these, taking the total number of homes with full planning permission to 834.
ThamesWey Chief Executive Mark Rolt said: “We’re looking forward to getting started on making the vision for Canalside come to life. This is a fantastic project that will breathe new life into the area.
“The ThamesWey team, our architects, and other development partners have remained committed over the long lead-up to this decision and we are all keen to begin work.”
Canalside is a 74-acre (30-hectare) development of contemporary homes set within distinct neighbourhoods built around a large central parkland area – the development’s ‘green heart’.
Work has begun on Canalside, the long-awaited transformation of the Sheerwater area of Woking. The major regeneration project will breathe new life into the area and create many more much-needed homes, with a significant increase in affordable housing.
‘Vantage’ is a development of over forty new 2, 3 & 4 bedroom houses and 1 & 2 bedroom apartments at Rydens Way, Old Woking, Surrey. The development provides a mix of both affordable housing for rent and freehold housing placed on the open market for sale.
The scheme was commissioned by ThamesWey Developments for ThamesWey Housing and built by local housebuilder William Lacey Group. Vantage is a development of properties ranging from apartments to houses that combine traditional architectural styles with high standards of sustainable design.
The development is built to the Code for Sustainable Homes Levels 3 and 4 and has achieved very high standards of energy and water efficiency.
The project sought to make best use of a difficult linear site whilst also delivering improvements in access for existing residents. This was achieved through the creation of ‘home zones’ which combine new car parking, safer access for buses and new planting.
The houses were built using ICF (insulated concrete formwork) to achieve very high standards of insulation. Internally, the properties are bright and airy, with high quality modern finishes. The properties are rendered or clad with attractive brick elevations with stone cills under grey tile roofs, set against either brick walls or landscaped gardens. Garden sheds, water butts, rotary washing lines and compost containers are provided, enclosed by close board fencing and/or brick walls. The properties also have off street parking within the home zones.
Sustainable building design has been practised through the construction of these new homes, ensuring that where ever possible the properties have a positive effect on their environment and their inhabitants, aiming to provide all the benefits of an ‘eco-house’ without intruding on the traditional approach to family home design. Energy efficient features include:
• Photovoltaic (PV) solar slates positioned on the roof, which seamlessly integrate into the roof finish, generating electrical energy from the sun
• Extremely high levels of insulation and air tightness built into the whole building fabric
• Double glazed PVCU framed windows
• Rainwater harvesting recycling water for use in the toilets andwashing machines
• High efficiency gas fired condensing boilers with radiators
• Thermostatic controls for individual rooms
• Heat Recovery Ventilation Systems
The £44 million scheme was delivered by ThamesWey Developments on behalf of Woking Borough Council, and its partner in the flood defence work, the Environment Agency. The Scheme was ThamesWey Developments first heavy civil engineering project and included delivery of new flood defences to protect over 198 homes; land remediation; highways improvement including commissioning a new bridge; new state-of-the-art community facilities; extensive public open space; and new wildlife habitats. The scheme was delivered with VolkerFitzpatrick’s Civils and Building divisions and received a CEEQUAL “Excellent Whole Project Award”.
Key facts and figures
Specifically adapted to suit the needs of each community group, the purpose built, highly energy efficient building benefits from:
In addition, Woking Sea Cadets have been re-housed in a purpose-built building alongside Goldsworth Park Lake, featuring meeting rooms, a fully equipped kitchen, office areas and a special boat yard area at the back of the building.
The Hoe Valley Community Building has been awarded a ‘Very Good’ standard from BREEAM, the environmental rating system for new buildings, and has also achieved:
Speaking at the official opening, Cllr John Kingsbury, Leader of Woking Borough Council, said: “The Hoe Valley Scheme is the realisation of a 20-year vision by the Council to regenerate the Hoe Valley and significantly reduce the risk of flooding that has blighted the area for years. Under budget and on time, the scheme has transformed and revitalised an area of the Borough that was once a domestic waste site, into an area for people to enjoy for generations to come.
“The scheme has allowed us to make necessary and important improvements to the highway infrastructure, rebuilding three highway bridges and two pedestrian/ cycle bridges across the Hoe Stream. We have relocated nine community groups into two new state-of-the-art community buildings that have been designed around their needs and made new land available for development to accommodate over 150 new homes for sale.”
Brookwood Farm was the development of 12 eco-friendly family homes in Knaphill, Woking. Comprising of 10 semi-detached houses and 2 detached houses, they incorporate the very latest methods of construction but offer a traditional appearance with natural slate roofs, rustic brick dentil course and arches to blend with the existing street scene.
The development was commissioned by ThamesWey Housing Ltd, a subsidiary of ThamesWey Ltd. Local construction company, William Lacey Sustainable Homes, was awarded the design and build contract to achieve a high quality, low carbon development of family homes.
The development was one of the first in the country to achieve at least a Level 5 rating from the Code for Sustainable Homes (CSH), which measures the sustainability of a home against specific design categories, and provides a mark of quality and assurance for homebuyers.
The 10 semi-detached homes on the development were made available on shared ownership basis, whilst the 2 detached five-bedroom homes were placed on the open market for sale.
The new homes are conventional in appearance and layout, whilst featuring innovative energy efficient measures and renewable energy technologies, including:
The Brookwood Farm development has played a lead role as a case study of new low carbon development.
The government’s industry task force, Zero Carbon Hub, has show-cased the scheme and the University of Surrey has carried out research on post-occupying performance at Brookwood Farm.