Help us name

The new buildings at Botanical Place require naming, and we want your help.

Using the Council’s guidelines, the project team has brainstormed a list of suggestions that build on the Botanical Place theme. These suggestions are based on the ideas of distilling, botanical ingredients and traditional essential oils.

Many of you have already expressed an interest in this phase of the development and so we would like to know your suggestions. In years to come the buildings that will make up Botanical Place will be a part of West Byfleet’s history, not only for the people that will live at Botanical Place but also for those living nearby, visitors and workers in the area.

We are looking for five memorable names. Each much be suitable for a building address that will include the word ‘House’, as this is one of the Council’s criteria. 

The final decision will be subject to formal validation and ratification process involving the local authorities and the executive directors of Retirement Villages Group.

How to submit your suggestions

To have your say, click here. We’ve also placed a suggestion box in the library on Rosemount Avenue! 

Get creative, we can’t wait to see what you come up with!

You have until 22 February to submit your ideas!

Any questions, email us on [email protected]

All three cranes installed to site

All three cranes have been installed on site, a significant milestone in the development of Botanical Place and reflective of the excellent progress being made.

We sent professional construction photographer Carlotta Luke to site to capture the third and final crane going up!

Higgins arrive to site

The construction phase of Botanical Place has begun. Before their start on site, our construction partner produced an introductory newsletter. This was delivered to immediate neighbours and can also be found on the Botanical Place Facebook page.

We will of course continue to work closely with the team at Higgins, to maintain regular updates to our Facebook page, newsletter and this website. As always, you can get in touch with any questions via [email protected]

Information Boards

As some of you may have noticed, site information has also recently been               installed on the hoardings, which includes contact details and information to find out more. See the photos attached for a sneak preview but be sure to check them out for yourself!

We would also like to thank all those that stopped to talk to us. We had some     great conversations with both passers by and local businesses and will use the    insights gained going forward.

We continue to encourage those who are interested in Botanical Place, the retail and amenity spaces or residential, to get in touch.

Keep your eyes peeled for some further updates regarding marketing in the          coming weeks!

Site Update

We are pleased to confirm that earlier last month, UKPN cut power to the old substation. The substation has now been decommissioned and will be demolished in the next week or so. Residents and local businesses were unaffected by the activities of UKPN.

Progress update

Over the past couple of months the team at Squibb have progressed quickly with the demolition works, processing concrete using the infamous ‘muncher and crusher’ machines and recycling site spoil into useful aggregate. In the coming weeks the demolition will draw to a close and Squibb will begin to wrap up their presence on site. The removal of a tree stump on Station Approach and the erection of new hoarding are among the final things on their agenda before they bid farewell.

Inspiring the next generation 

Two weeks ago, as part of their ‘Let’s Explore’ topic, reception classes from West Byfleet Infant School visited the Sheer House redevelopment site. Their teacher very kindly shared some of their drawings and told us what the children had to say about their trip to site!

“The digger knocked down the old building. The builders were nice, we waved at them and they waved back!”

“The digger is scooping the old building out. I am excited about the new one!”

“They knocked down the library… but the books weren’t there anymore… they are moving them to a new library.”

The demolition team from Squibb Group enjoyed meeting the enthusiastic children and hearing what they had to say about the site!

Car park closure and alternative parking arrangements

When walking around the site this week, some of you may have spotted several notices alerting to the planned closure of Sheer House car park from the end of this month. 
 
We understand that this may be disappointing for those who use the car park and we apologise for any inconvenience. Nevertheless, the project team have been working closely with Woking Borough Council and South Western Railway to secure alternative parking at West Byfleet Station at a reduced tariff. 

The new reduced tariffs, which can be found below, will apply from 10:00am on weekdays and all day on weekends:   
 
• 1 hour – £0.80 
• 2 hours – £1.60 
• 3 hours – £2.40 
• 4 hours – £3.20 

 
If you have any queries or concerns regarding these changes, please do not hesitate to contact us using the details below. 

Progress update

Squibb’s demolition team has spent the past two weeks carefully removing four layers of bitumen and insulation that had been applied to the main Sheer House building’s roof over its lifespan. This process, while time-consuming, is vital to ensure a smooth demolition and prevent these materials from being expelled into the wider area. 

The team have now also finished removing the concrete panels which formed the external façade of the building, including on the side of Sheer House facing Station Approach. You may have also seen a mobile tower crane in the area last week, which was used to remove the external fire escape on the side facing Station Approach. These two vital tasks were carried out prior to demolition, due to their location and proximity to adjacent properties allowing full control over the wider demolition of the main structure. 
 
As a result of these safety actions, the high reach demolition of the building is now well underway, shown in the image below.