Delivering Change in Horley Town Centre

The Delivering Change in Horley Town Centre programme is a Council initiative that is supported by Surrey County Council, Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership and Horley Town Council.

The programme will deliver a targeted set of interrelated projects to regenerate the town centre and deliver the aspirations of the Council as set out in Reigate and Banstead 2025: our five year plan – to invest in our town centres, drive economic prosperity, deliver affordable homes and work with partners to create strong, safe and welcoming communities.

There are four projects that form the programme:

1. Public realm improvements to the High Street
2. Refurbishing the subway between the High Street and Station Approach
3. Improvements to Central Car Park (formerly installation of pay-on-exit car parking in the town centre)
4. Redeveloping the High Street Car Park to provide new homes.

The Delivering Change in Horley Town Centre programme is a Council initiative that is supported by Surrey County Council, Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership and Horley Town Council.

The programme will deliver a targeted set of interrelated projects to regenerate the town centre and deliver the aspirations of the Council as set out in Reigate and Banstead 2025: our five year plan – to invest in our town centres, drive economic prosperity, deliver affordable homes and work with partners to create strong, safe and welcoming communities.

There are four projects that form the programme:

1. Public realm improvements to the High Street
2. Refurbishing the subway between the High Street and Station Approach
3. Improvements to Central Car Park (formerly installation of pay-on-exit car parking in the town centre)
4. Redeveloping the High Street Car Park to provide new homes.

High Street public realm improvements

Building on the public realm improvements delivered in the precinct, this project will be concentrated along the High Street, between the precinct and the pedestrian bridge over the railway. The aim is a coordinated and comprehensive series of improvements to enhance the look, feel and flow of the High Street. 

The project will be delivered in partnership with Surrey County Council.

£600,000 of funding has been made available within Reigate & Banstead Borough Council’s approved capital programme 2020-2025 to deliver the project and further funding has been sought from the Surrey Infrastructure Plan and Strategic Community Infrastructure Levy.

Proposals include new street furniture, planting and signage as well as improving safety, pedestrian connectivity and cycle priority through investment in the pavements, crossings, and measures to promote cycling. 

The enhanced public realm will help the High Street to better serve local people and improve public perception and business confidence, which in turn will help to attract visitors and investment, and contribute to the Council’s aim to regenerate the town centre.

The anticipated timescales for the delivery of the High Street public realm improvements are:

• Preliminary design: summer 2020 – autumn 2021
• Consultation and detailed design: spring 2022 – spring 2023
• Construction: autumn - winter 2023

• See the latest plans

Refurbishing the subway

The subway between High Street and Station Approach needs refurbishing; it was built in 1905 to replace a level crossing and is in a very poor condition and is subject to flooding.

We want to make the subway easier to use for pedestrians, cyclists and people with disabilities by creating a safe, well-lit and more welcoming space, improve the condition of the structure and address drainage and flooding issues.

Significant funding from developers (known as Section 106 contributions) has been secured through the Horley Master Plan by Surrey County Council towards improvement of the subway.

The full extent of the work required to the subway will be determined by feasibility work. The proposed improvements include: drainage and electrical works, structural work to the wing walls at the High Street entrance, improved lighting, redecoration, footway improvements and public art.

Following completion of initial work in 2021, the anticipated timescales are:

• Preliminary design: winter 2020 – spring 2022
• Detailed design: spring 2022– spring 2023
• Construction phase 1 - drainage/flooding works: spring – summer 2023
• Construction phase 2 - refurbishment: spring – summer 2024

• See the latest plans

Improvements to Central Car Park (formerly pay-on-exit car parking)

This project proposes to make improvements to Central Car Park to enhance the user experience, making it a more attractive place to park by improving its look and feel. 

Modernisation of the car cark will include the provision of demarcated pedestrian routes, tree planting and installation of electric vehicle charging points.

Subject to feasibility, the estimated programme for the improvements is:

• Procurement: spring 2023
• Works and implementation: summer 2023
• Completion: summer 2023

Initial proposals included the installation of pay-on-exit car parking in the Central Car Park and Victoria Road Car Park. However, the current focus is on the delivery of alternative measures that generate similar benefits to pay-on-exit parking, especially when considered alongside RingGo, that enables users to extend parking sessions via mobile devices without needing to return to their vehicles.

• See the latest plans

High Street Car Park redevelopment

The High Street Car Park presents the Council with an opportunity to secure the delivery of much needed homes that can be afforded by local people, and which provide a wider choice of tenure, type and size of homes.

The site is allocated in the Development Management Plan for a residential led mixed use development incorporating retail/leisure as part of policy HOR1.

The development of this site will also contribute towards fulfilling a key objective of the Council’s Housing Delivery Strategy: to use Council assets to deliver additional housing via a housing-led scheme by providing well-designed homes that offer a choice of tenures and sizes.

The development of the car park could also enable the delivery of up to 1,500 sqm of flexible use space such as commercial, community, leisure and or employment uses.

The development of the car park is currently paused.

Project costs and funding

The total estimated cost of the programme, excluding the redevelopment of the High Street Car Park post feasibility, is approximately £3 million. The programme is now fully funded through a variety of funding sources. Allocations from the Council’s capital programme and revenue budget and Section 106 developer contributions, together total £1.29 million, external grant funding of £229,600 from the Coast to Capital LEP Local Growth Fund and £23,375 Empty Property Reimbursement from Surrey County Council towards the installation of electric vehicle charge points in Central Car Park.

Additional funding to enable the delivery of the programme has been agreed as part of the Surrey Infrastructure Plan by Surrey County Council. Applications to the Council’s Strategic Community Infrastructure Levy have also been made for the programme; should these funding applications be successful the level of Surrey Infrastructure Plan funding will be reduced accordingly.

Find out more

Please contact regeneration@reigate-banstead.gov.uk for further information.