Tired, dated and largely empty office buildings with no long-term future, in a part of town that “lacks amenities tenants now expect” are set to be transformed. The Genesis Business Park in Sheerwater, Woking, will be demolished to make way for new units developers hope will turn the underused asset into a busy area – as the wider regeneration of the town presses ahead.
Permission was granted for a large self-storage unit and distribution buildings, by Woking Borough Council’s planning committee as it heard how the existing building would be too costly to fix up. Sheerwater is in the midst of a major, but stalled, rebuild after the council ran out of money part way through – but not after huge numbers of residents were moved out and homes torn out or left empty.
To add to its woes, demand for office space, post covid has cratered, with Sheerwater seen as “no longer an ideal location for office use”. Now developers plan to knock down six of the seven Genesis buildings with three new blocks hosting nine units going up in their place. The site will then be redeveloped across two phases; with the self-storage unit to go up first.
Paul Reeves speaking on behalf of the development said: “In the post-pandemic economy the site is no longer an ideal location for office use. The buildings and surrounding areas lack the amenities that tenants now expect. Much of the floor space is now vacant with the leases due to expire for the remaining and partially occupied units. The buildings themselves are tired and increasingly dated in their appearance and the scope for upgrades is limited and costly. The offices do not have a long term future.”
He said feedback on the designs had been largely positive, save for objections raised by those living in nearby converted office blocks within the development zone. He added that it would create employment, estimating that it would bring in about 236 jobs, encourage further investment into the area, and “reduce the risk of long-term vacancies”.
Nobody spoke out against the plans, which were unanimously approved by the planning committee on Tuesday, November 12.
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