New plan for 35 flats near station to be decided

The homes would be built near Ashford station, if approved by councillors

Plans for 35 new homes near a Surrey railway station are due to be decided.

The development, which could also include shops, is proposed for land at Station Approach and Woodthorpe Road in Ashford.

In July, an application for 40 new homes on the same site was dismissed on appeal by a government inspector.

The latest application, to be decided by Spelthorne Borough Council's planning committee on Tuesday, is one floor lower and has five fewer homes than the previous rejected one.

The buildings currently on the site, which, according to planning documents, are two- and three-storey office buildings, would be demolished under the plans.

Council officers recommend the plans should be approved by councillors.

A report said: "It is considered that the proposed changes, which include the reduced height and removal of a storey, setting back the upper floors, and the alignment of storey heights, shop fronts, and first-floor fenestration for more consistency, have now overcome the concerns raised by the inspector."

It added there was now a "significant improvement" in the design on the building facing the Station Approach frontage.