20 Years of ThamesWey

Following the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, Woking Borough Council set itself an ambitious set of targets regarding climate change. In order to accelerate delivery, Woking Borough Council realised that it needed a dedicated vehicle to engage with private partners and ThamesWey was born.

Timeline

2020
February 2020
ThamesWey completes landmark town centre residential development

ThamesWey completes landmark town centre residential development

ThamesWey completes Harrington Place, ThamesWey’s flagship, sustainable, Woking town centre development.

January 2020
Poole Road Energy Centre breaks ground

Poole Road Energy Centre breaks ground

ThamesWey, together with construction partner Galliford Try, broke ground on Woking’s new low-carbon Energy Centre.

2019
November 2019
ThamesWey changes to 100% renewable electricity

ThamesWey changes to 100% renewable electricity

ThamesWey appointed Ørsted, a leader in offshore wind, to provide top-up electricity to our networks in Woking and Milton Keynes. For all ThamesWey supplied sites in Woking and Milton Keynes, the electricity bought from the grid to top-up that generated by our energy centres is now 100% renewable, generated by offshore wind farms.

August 2019
ThamesWey completes first new homes with swift bricks

ThamesWey completes first new homes with swift bricks

ThamesWey has completed its first housing development containing swift bricks. The 12 swifts bricks have been incorporated into two new family sized affordable homes which have been handed over to Woking Borough Council.

August 2019
ThamesWey breaks ground on Canalside development

ThamesWey breaks ground on Canalside development

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. This major regeneration project will breathe new life into this area, creating a thriving, sustainable community that meets the changing needs of modern living.

March 2019
Poole Road

Poole Road energy centre planning application approved

ThamesWey’s planning application for the Poole Road energy centre was approved. The new energy centre will secure the future of low carbon energy supplies in Woking for the next 50 years:

2018
November 2018

ThamesWey begins a 12 month energy storage trial on 11 properties

ThamesWey begins a 12 month energy storage, using batteries, trial on 11 properties. The batteries will enable residents to store unused solar energy generated throughout the day for use at night.

October 2018
Major renovation of 50 former MoD properties in Pirbright completed

Major renovation of 50 former MoD properties in Pirbright completed

ThamesWey completes major renovation of 50 former Ministry of Defence properties in Pirbright to improve the comfort of the homes and reduce the energy bills for tenants. The energy efficiency “make-over” included installing wall and roof insulation, solar panels and upgrading old, inefficient boilers.

August 2018
Greener, cleaner power for new town centre office building

Greener, cleaner power for new town centre office building

The newly-refurbished Victoria Gate office building in Woking town centre is now running on ThamesWey’s district heat and power network, earning it some impressive sustainability credentials. Choosing this local supply for all its power, heating and cooling requirements has helped the prestige redevelopment achieve an ‘Excellent’ status in its BREEAM sustainability assessment.

April 2018

ThamesWey launches an Earn Your Deposit scheme

ThamesWey launches an Earn Your Deposit scheme to help ThamesWey tenants save towards a deposit to buy their own place.

2017
July 2017

First ThamesWey modular build

First ThamesWey modular build, 20 High Street, Knaphill completed. Modular construction is where a building is built off-site in “modules” which are put together on the desired location.This enables properties to be built faster compared to on-site construction.

2016
January 2016

Action Surrey completed the “Streets Ahead” project

Action Surrey completed the “Streets Ahead” project which used £1.8 million worth of the Green Deal Communities Fund to enable 450 Surrey residents to insulate their solid wall properties.

2014
March 2014

ThamesWey delivers a 3G pitch at Woking Leisure Centre

ThamesWey delivers a 3G artificial turf pitch at Woking Leisure Centre in order to improve the facilities available for the community.

2013
January 2013
WWF and The Peacocks Centre get connected

WWF and The Peacocks Centre get connected

WWF’s Living Planet Centre and The Peacocks Centre were connected to TEL’s electricity network:

2012
March 2012
Installing solar

ThamesWey Solar installs 5000 solar panels at 35 sites across the borough

ThamesWey Solar’s first solar photovoltaic arrays are installed at 35 sites throughout the borough, including on Council owned housing, community buildings and third party owned buildings.  This represents over 1.24 MW of peak solar capacity and all arrays are registered for the Feed-in-Tariff scheme.

March 2012
Hoe Valley Community Buildings

Hoe Valley construction work completed

Hoe Valley construction work completed including a country park, flood alleviation, a new state-of-the-art community building and a new centre for Woking Sea Cadets. This represented the first ThamesWey provided community buildings:

2011
September 2011
Connecting Network Rail National Centre

Connecting Network Rail National Centre

Network Rail National Centre connects to the ThamesWey Central Milton Keynes District Heating and Private Wire network.

June 2011

ThamesWey Solar established

ThamesWey Solar established to further the installations and operation of solar photovoltaic panels in Woking. ThamesWey now has more than 60 PV arrays in and around the Borough.

2010
August 2010
Completion Brookwood Farm MP Chris Huhne & CEO Ray Morgan

Completion of the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 5 eco-houses

Completion of the Code for Sustainable Homes Level 5 eco-houses at Brookwood Farm which featured triple glazed windows, improved insulation & air tightness, rainwater harvesting and photovoltaic roof tiles. These represented the first purpose built THL property.

MP Chris Huhne, 2010-2012 Secretary State for Energy & Climate Change, visited Brookwood Farm:

February 2010
Hoe Valley Flood Defence

Hoe Valley Scheme flood alleviation scheme begins

Work starts on the Hoe Valley Scheme to provide flood alleviation scheme for approximately 183 existing homes, new community facilities and remediate land for 200 new homes:

2009
November 2009

Action Woking established

Action Woking established to provide an impartial energy advice service, supporting households, schools and businesses to help them save money on energy bills and reduce CO2 emissions.

October 2009

100 properties owned

ThamesWey Housing reaches 100 owned properties

September 2009

40 GWh of low carbon electricity generated

ThamesWey Energy generated more than 40 GWh of low carbon electricity and heat from its generating stations.

August 2009

ThamesWey Developments established

ThamesWey Developments established to develop both commercial and residential schemes across the Borough.

2008
October 2008
Oak Tree House

“Oak Tree House” opens showcasing energy efficiency

Woking’s low carbon demonstration home “Oak Tree House” opens showcasing energy efficiency, renewable technology and water saving improvements such as solar hot water panels and rainwater harvesting

2007
June 2007

ThamesWey acquired Energy Centre for Sustainable Communities Limited

ThamesWey acquired Energy Centre for Sustainable Communities Limited which became known as ThamesWey Sustainable Communities Limited in 2013.

2005
December 2005
Milton Keynes Energy Centre

ThamesWey Central Milton Keynes formed

ThamesWey Central Milton Keynes formed, and appointed by English Partnership, to develop a major new energy plant in Central Milton Keynes.

April 2005

Woking Borough Homes Limited established

Woking Borough Homes Limited established (later renamed ThamesWey Housing in January 2013) in support of Woking Borough Council’s Housing Strategy

2002
January 2002
commercially operational hydrogen fuel cell

First hydrogen fuel cell installed

ThamesWey Energy installed the first commercially operational hydrogen fuel cell combined heat and power plant in the UK at Woking Park Leisure Centre.

2001
August 2001
Solar photovoltaic

ThamesWey’s first photovoltaic installation

ThamesWey Energy begin the installation of over 300 solar panels at Brockhill, the first of 12 sites across the borough to receive similar arrays, eventually resulting in over 3000 panels and a peak generation of over 750 kW peak.

July 2001
Woking Town Centre Energy Station

Woking Town Centre Energy Station

Woking Town Centre Energy Station became operational with a 1.4 MWe gas fired Combined Heat & Power engine. The energy station provides low carbon heat, cooling and power to a number of buildings within the town centre.

2000
January 2000

Thameswey Energy begins construction

ThamesWey Energy begins construction of the Woking town centre combined heat and power station.

1999
May 1999

ThamesWey Energy established

ThamesWey Energy Limited established to provide a long-term strategy of sustainable energy infrastructure investment and a mission to provide low carbon energy in the Borough of Woking.

February 1999

Woking Borough Council established ThamesWey Limited

ThamesWey set up by Woking Borough Council as a public-private joint venture to spearhead delivery of the Councils’ ambition for Woking to meet the UK’s 2050 carbon reduction targets.