Work has begun this week to create a brand new public space at the western end of Station Road in Redhill, outside the new Nobel House development.

New seating, improved lighting, attractive planting and better cycle storage will make the area much more inviting for those living, shopping and working in Redhill. Five new trees will replace the existing trees, which have a limited life expectancy in their current location. The area will also be repaved.

Reigate & Banstead Borough Council is working with Hollybrook Residential Developments Ltd – the developer of Nobel House on Queensway – and Surrey County Council to deliver this scheme, which is being funded by Hollybrook as one of their community obligations as part of the redevelopment of Nobel House.  Other obligations have included an upgraded pedestrian crossing from Warwick Road and payments to local health and education providers to reflect the additional demand on those services arising from the new flats.

Cllr Natalie Bramhall, loca councillor and Chairman of the Redhill Regeneration Forum, said:

“We want Redhill to become a thriving town centre which is a prominent commercial location, a competitive retail destination and great place to live.

“This area of Station Road is looking very dated and over time has become a bit tired. These improvements will dramatically improve this important gateway to Redhill and the perception it gives of the town centre. The scheme will provide a striking modern space for local residents, shoppers and business people to sit and relax, or just pass through.”

Andy Nash, Manager of the Belfry Centre and Vice Chairman of the Redhill Regeneration Forum, said:

“The new public space will give a real lift to the western end of Station Road and make a big difference to retailers in this area.

“The Belfry and other local retailers have been closely involved in developing the design for the scheme. We are delighted that the new public space will be a high quality scheme that will raise the bar for future projects in Redhill town centre.”

The improvements are being funded by infrastructure contributions from the development of Nobel House, which has already provided 126 homes right in the town centre and around 12,000 square feet of retail space, expected to open later this year.

The construction of the new public space on Station Road will be completed by April.

We are now half way through the consultation period for the Redhill Town Centre Action plan, which we highlighted in our previous article, and we thank all of you who have provided feedback to us and to the Council so far.

In response to requests from local residents, community groups and we as Councillors, the Council is organising two additional events to enable more people to have their say:

• An additional full day of a manned exhibition stand, in the Belfry, from 9am-5pm on Saturday 18th February – this will be manned by Council officers and Councillors, including the responsible Portfolio Holder, Cllr Natalie Bramhall.
• A workshop for local residents’ associations and other community groups – please contact us if you want to find out more.

Cllr Rois Amiah, ward councillor for Redhill East, commented:

We have received lots of useful comments, some positive, some critical, and it is our job to see that they are all considered properly.

“Although the outlook for the economy in general, and Redhill in particular, is uncertain, many respondents recognise that a balanced approach, between retail, leisure, housing and other uses in the town centre is a sensible one.

“One resident has even reminded us that the Council helped regenerate Reigate after its well publicised slump 20 years ago, by adopting a more flexible local planning regime, so we have some reason to be confident that we can do the same through this action plan.”

Please refer to our previous article for all of the details on how to respond to the consultation, and don’t hesitate to have your say – this is vitally important for the town.

Redhill residents, workers and visitors are being asked to give their views on vital plans which will shape how Redhill town centre will develop in future, as a consultation on the Redhill Town Centre Area Action Plan gets underway.

The Action Plan will be used to help guide the town’s physical regeneration, and will set the rules against which future planning applications, for shops, supermarkets, offices etc will be decided.

Cllr Natalie Bramhall, one of your Redhill councillors and Executive Member for Priority Places, said:

Area covered by the Action Plan

“Your Councillors are committed to regenerating Redhill town centre to become a thriving town centre which is a prominent commercial location, a competitive retail destination and great place to live.

“This plan is the culmination of several years’ background work and builds on feedback from previous consultations and updated research. Now is your chance to tell us whether you agree with our proposals.”

The Action Plan explains how the Council wants to improve the town centre, including proposals for redeveloping specific sites, like:

• new leisure uses and shops at Marketfield Way car park
• the redevelopment of Redhill Station to provide a new station building, hotel homes and shops
• improved open spaces at Memorial Park and in Station Road
• renewed community facilities at Colebrook and/or other sites
• expanding and improving the shops at the Warwick Quadrant
• a new supermarket, cafes and restaurants on Cromwell Road

Cllr Rois Amiah, another Redhill Councillor, said:

I know the Council asks residents for their views on many occasions, on lots of subjects, but this really is the most important consultation we have had in Redhill for many years, so please take some time and give us your thoughts.

“Decisions made now will affect the town for decades into the future.  We, as councillors, will not approve the plans unless we have residents’ approval of them; if this draft needs changing, please tell us how it needs to change and we will do so.”

How to make your views known

The Action Plan homepage, containing all of the materials and details of the consultation, is at:  www.reigate-banstead.gov.uk/redhilltcaap

The individual ways of having your say are as follows:

• An exhibition about the proposals will be on display in The Belfry shopping centre on Friday 20 and Saturday 21 January, where staff from the Council will be on hand to talk to visitors about the plans and answer questions.
• The exhibition will then move to the Harlequin Theatre from Monday 23 January to Friday 24 February.
• You can view a summary document here:  http://www.reigate-banstead.gov.uk/Images/Redhill%20A3%20flyer%20Dec2011_tcm9-46459.pdf
• You can view the full Action Plan document here:  http://www.reigate-banstead.gov.uk/Images/RedhillTownCentreAAP_tcm9-46452.pdf
• You can review the document and complete the consultation through the dedicated portal, at http://reigate-banstead-consult.objective.co.uk/.
• You can fill in a Word questionnaire and email it to LDF@reigate-banstead.gov.uk.
• You can pick up a feedback form from the exhibitions, Help Shops and libraries and send this back to the Town Hall.
• If you are part of a residents’ group or other community group, contact us and we will try to attend one of your meetings to hear your views direct.
• You can leave comments here, which we will take into account and reply to where we can.
• You can contact us direct, using the details from the links at the top of the page.

The formal consultation closes at 5pm on Friday 24 February 2012 – please try to get your comments back before then, although your Councillors will gladly receive comments for a short time after that date.

Following the consultation, feedback will be used to update the plan for a further consultation in the autumn before it is submitted to the Secretary of State. The Council will then take steps to adopt the documents which will require a public examination next spring (2013).

Redhill Food Lovers’ Market is back in town on this Friday, 28 October.

Following its success in the spring, the market will run once a month until the end of the year, giving shoppers plenty of time to get their ingredients for Christmas.

The market specialises in a large selection of continental cheeses, Italian biscuits, crepes, olives, local patisseries, confectionery, pasta, sauces, cooked meats, olive oils, herbs and lots more.

Held in Station Road from 8am to 4pm, the Food Lovers’ Market is an addition to the existing markets that take place in the town on a Thursday and Saturday.

Cllr Mrs Bramhall, Redhill Councillors and Executive Member for Priority Places, said:

“This market will help to create a vibrant event for the community and we also hope it will attract shoppers into the area. If you live or work locally, I’d encourage you to visit it and see what it has to offer.”

Future dates

• Friday 25 November
• Friday 16 December.

Artist's impression of how the building could look

As outlined in our earlier article, plans are being developed to redevelop the former Liquid and Envy nightclub in Station Road, Redhill  to provide a high quality development of shops and residential accommodation together with on-site car parking.

Local residents are invited to attend a public exhibition to view the redevelopment plans. The consultation will take place at the Belfry, on the first floor outside the Body Shop on the following dates:

Friday  21 October 10-3pm

Saturday 22 October 10-3pm

Members of the project team will be available to respond to any queries and record feedback on the plans.

After a Police investigation into problems at the Abbot pub, the Council’s Licensing Committee has imposed additional conditions on the premises, including a restriction on opening hours to midnight, and increases in the number of door staff on busy evenings.

Full details can be found in the full agreement reached by the Licensing Committee:  mediated agreement Abbot PH

‘Grot spots’ in Redhill are being targeted by Reigate & Banstead Borough Council in a coordinated effort to enhance the town centre and boost Redhill’s image.

A number of sites have been identified for action and the Council is now working with public sector partners and private land owners to bring about lasting improvements.

The alleyway between NatWest Bank and the Chapel building on Station Road is the first of the grot spots to be spruced up. Attractive new gates have been installed at either end of the alley to prevent public access and the area has been given a deep clean by the Council’s street cleansing crew.

Cllr Natalie Bramhall, Executive Member for Priority Places, said:

“We are trying to turn Redhill into a thriving town centre which is a competitive retail destination, a major business location and a great place to live.  These ‘grot spots’ present a poor image of Redhill to residents, commuters and potential inward investors. As well as being unsightly, they attract litter, antisocial behaviour and crime. Our grot spots initiative will make a real difference to how people feel about the town centre and improve the overall impression of Redhill.”

The Council is currently working with Southern Railway and Network Rail to improve the pedestrian subway under the railway line between Redstone Hill and Marketfield Way.  New lights have already been installed in the subway and in the stairwell on Redstone Hill, making the area much more welcoming. Network Rail also plans to install anti-graffiti cladding along the length of the subway.

Paul Best, Southern’s Project Manager, said:

“We applaud the Council’s initiative to brighten up Redhill Town Centre and we are only too happy to contribute to this campaign by making the subway a much more comfortable place to be.”

The Council identified twelve grot spots during a walking tour of Redhill town centre with officers from Surrey Police at the end of last year. The ‘dirty dozen’ include service yards, alleyways and left over pieces of land which blight the town centre. The sites are often in multiple ownership, making the grot spots complex problems to resolve.

Cllr Bramhall added:

“Reigate & Banstead Borough Council will be working hard with landowners and other public bodies to get tough on the grot spots and make sure they are well maintained in the future.”

The public exhibition on ASDA’s proposals for a new supermarket on the Cromwell Road site in Redhill is taking place at the Harlequin, tomorrow (Thursday 15th) and Friday 16th September, between 10am and 6pm.  Please attend if you can and give your comments direct to ASDA’s representatives.

As one of the best used websites for local news, the Redhill Councillors’ web team has asked ASDA for the official consultation materials, so that we can post them here for local residents to view and comment on them – especially those who are unable to make it to the exhibition in person.

Cllr Natalie Bramhall, who is one of Redhill’s councillors and Chairman of the Redhill Regeneration Forum, has said:

“Development in the town centre will only work if it fulfils what local residents want.  These are very ambitious proposals from ASDA and they are clearly serious about investing in a new store in Redhill.

“I urge local residents to tell us and ASDA what you think of these plans – this is an important site in the town centre and the plans have to be of high quality and reflect what local residents want.”

Official consultation booklet

The official consultation booklet is available to download as a PDF here:  ASDA Redhill – Final – a5

At the end of this page we have copied out the main text from the brochure; we have also shown some of the graphics on this page, but there are more in the booklet.

How to have your say

Both ASDA and the Councillors want to hear your views.  You can give your comments as follows:

• By completing the online survey (we will pass all of the data on to ASDA)
• By emailing ASDA direct, at info@asdaredhill.co.uk
• By printing off the PDF above and posting back the form to ASDA (postage paid)
• By leaving a comment at the bottom of this page (we will pass all comments on to ASDA; we cannot guarantee that replies will be provided to all posts)

If you wish to provide comments/views specifically to us Councillors, please leave a comment on this page (indicating specifically that it is directed to us instead of to ASDA), or email us using the contact details under the Councillor Contacts menu item above.

As we showed in our supermarket survey earlier in the year we think it is vital that Redhill residents are given up to date information on the latest issues in our town, and the opportunity to have their say, direct to those who are making decisions about the future of the town.

Summary of proposals (the rest of this post is copied directly from ASDA’s PDF booklet)

ASDA has developed proposals for a brand new superstore on Cromwell Road in Redhill town centre. We believe this will benefit customers, the local community and the local economy.

Our proposals will deliver –

• A 30,000sq ft (sales area) superstore in Redhill town centre on a site identified by Reigate and Banstead Borough Council as being preferred for development.
• A much-needed boost to the town centre by offering more retail choice for local people and providing a positive knock-on effect for the Belfry Centre and other local businesses.
• Up to 270 new full and part time jobs, creating employment opportunities for local people.
• Ample car parking spaces with easy access to the town centre.
• Cycle parking spaces to encourage more sustainable journeys.
• Recycling facilities.

We think our new superstore will make a positive contribution to Redhill town centre and benefit local people.

The proposed ASDA superstore will have a sales area of approximately 30,000sq ft and bring a much-needed boost to Redhill by bringing shoppers into the town centre.

In addition to the economic benefits of up to 270 new jobs, the superstore will offer:

• Fresh food, including the premium Extra Special ranges, Free-From ranges and ASDA’s accessible and affordable Organic ranges, as well as locally sourced and produced goods wherever possible.
• Household goods.
• The award-winning George clothing range.
• An ASDA customer café.
• Recycling facilities.
• Groceries to your door – ASDA’s home delivery service.

ASDA regularly works with Jobcentre Plus, local colleges and other community organisations to recruit and train colleagues for its stores. In particular, ASDA has done a significant amount of work in establishing Local Employment Partnerships (LEPs), which are designed to help long-term unemployed people back to work.

Our proposed new ASDA superstore will positively enhance the appearance of this part of Redhill town centre. The addition of a modern, bespoke retail premises at this location is an impressive statement of confidence in the future of the town and the local community.

Notable features of the superstore:

• The customer entrance for pedestrians will be at the corner of Cromwell Road and the High Street.
• The first floor will host the main retail area with pedestrians entering from the ground floor gaining access through a number of lifts and stairs. Customers arriving at the store by vehicle will proceed through entrances in the car parking areas.
• Five retail units will be located at ground floor level – three on Cromwell Road and two on the High Street.
• Customers arriving by car will access the superstore through an entrance on Cromwell Road.
• Ample car parking will be available on the second and third floors of the building.
• Service access for the store will be through an entrance on Cromwell Road.

We are committed to working with Reigate and Banstead Borough Council on transport matters and ways of improving access to this superstore.

The following Press Release has been received from ASDA:

ASDA, the UK’s lowest price supermarket, has today announced that it will hold a public exhibition to showcase proposals to submit a planning application for a new town centre store in Redhill.

On Thursday 15th and Friday 16th September ASDA will outline its plans for a superstore that would create 270 jobs for local people and bring an economic boost to the town centre. The exhibition will run from 10am to 6pm on both days and will take place at the Harlequin.

The exhibition will show ASDA’s proposals for a 30,000sq ft (sales area) store on Cromwell Road, adjacent to the Belfry Centre in the town centre. These include:

• A new ASDA store for Redhill with a sales area of 30,000sq ft.

• ASDA’s range of quality products at affordable prices, bringing the ASDA Price Guarantee to Redhill.

• A major employment boost, creating up to 270 full and part time jobs

• Ample car parking spaces with easy access to the town centre

• Cycle parking spaces to encourage more sustainable journeys

• Additional recycling facilities for the town.

ASDA believes that a new store on this site would bring a huge boost to Redhill, acting as a retail anchor to attract shoppers back into the town centre and bringing a welcome boost to the economic fortunes of the local area.

Chris Martin, ASDA Senior Property Communications Manager, said:

“We are delighted to present local people with our proposals for a new ASDA superstore in Redhill. This exhibition is an important part of listening to the views of the public and local businesses as we progress with our planning application.

The Cromwell Road location has been identified by the council as a preferred site for development in Redhill and we believe a new ASDA store will bring a much-needed boost to the town centre. The opportunity to create 270 new jobs for local people is an exciting prospect for the whole town.”

We look forward to meeting with many people from across the community at the public exhibition.”