Former Sunbury fire station redevelopment approved

The plans feature an outdoor communal garden and parking for 35 cars

A former Surrey fire station site is set to become a library, community hub and 12 independent living apartments.

The Sunbury fire station in Staines Road West has been vacant since its closure in 2019 as part of a series of cuts to the service across the county.

The proposals were approved by Surrey County Council despite concerns the five-storey building was not maximising the site's potential.

The plans also feature an outdoor communal garden area.

The 24 metre-tall building will be considerably smaller than many of the surrounding towers, which led to councillors bemoaning a missed opportunity.

'No new crossings'

Residents' Association councillor Ernest Mallet said: "You should make the best use of land for development because basically, particularly in the South East, we don't have land, it doesn't grow on trees.

"It's very very difficult to find sites and here we have a site, with two 13-storey block on [either] side.

"And we're going to five storeys and the fifth storey is not even going to be occupied, it is purely for machinery, so we're vastly under-developing this site."

The planning committee heard that an access point allowing fire engines to cross the busy dual carriageway will be closed to make the site safer for pedestrians but no new crossings will be installed along the road.

The proposal includes parking for 35 cars.

Surrey County Council has been approached for a comment.

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