Birdseye Building - SOLD FOR RESIDENTIAL

[Walton Newcomer]

This just out - I tried to upload a CGI image (114Kb) but told "Sorry, the board attachment quota has been reached."


Crest Nicholson fishes out deal for former Birds Eye HQ
29 April 2016 | By Helen Crane, Property Week

Housebuilder Crest Nicholson has snapped up frozen food provider Birds Eye’s former headquarters in Surrey, and will look to undertake an office-to-residential conversion.

Walton Court, the 6.6-acre freehold site in Walton-on-Thames, was acquired from Green Property with vacant possession, and is understood to have sold for well above the £20m guide price.

The firm is thought to be planning a mixed-use scheme on the site, incorporating residential units for both private sale and the private rented sector.

The main office building on the site is grade II listed, but in July Elmbridge Borough Council gave a positive pre-application response to plans to change the main building’s use from office to residential, and build additional units on the rest of the site. A notional scheme worked up by the vendor (pictured) suggests that there is space for 226 units, including both apartments and houses.

Walton Court was originally developed as the headquarters for Birds Eye in the 1960s, and was marketed as one of the first prestigious office schemes for firms moving out of London.
Green Property acquired the office in 2006 for £25m, and the food manufacturer moved out two years later. It has since lain vacant.

In 2014, budget supermarket Lidl considered taking on the site as its UK headquarters before opting for nearby Tolworth.

In the meantime, the building has been used as a set for film and television, and in 2014 played host to Kiefer Sutherland when it was used as a location for TV series 24.

In 2012, planning and listed building consent was granted for the effective back-to-frame refurbishment of the main office building, demolition of all other buildings and construction of an office extension of 84,000 sq ft.

The site will add to Crest Nicholson’s mixed-use portfolio, after Brighton & Hove Council picked it as the developer for a £200m residential and leisure centre scheme on the south coast in February.

Strutt & Parker and Doherty Baines acted for Green Property. Crest Nicholson was unrepresented.

[PaulH]

You can upload a picture to something like imgur and put it as a link on here.

[Lewy]

Well something needed to happen to the site but I'm not sure this is the best choice.

[PaulH]

Well something needed to happen to the site but I'm not sure this is the best choice.

Best available, I suspect. It's been on the market for years with no interest in it as an office development.

[John at Walton]

By a simple calculation 226 units times say £300,000/unit equals £68 million!
Crest Nicolson is going to make a great deal of profit!!

Of course this is "a notional scheme worked up by the vendor"
We all remember the notional scheme for the Heart when they said it would only be one story of flats over the centre and it turned out to be many more !!
I do hope they keep to 226 units but I fear it may be many more!

[rastrent]

You should see the scheme they're using to replace security. It's all a massive joke. You've got dozens of people living there without heat, with one working light, uncarpeted floors in a half-locked building paying up to 400 quid a month to stay there as "a presence". It's utter madness.

http://uk.cameloteurope.com/security-so ... -guardians

My old mans lost a ten year job over this. Stealing honest work from honest people for profit. Welcome to England. Welcome to Capitalism.

[webmaster]

Walton Newcomer, if you email me the image to webmaster@walton-on-thames.org I can upload it as long as there are no copyright restrictions.

[John at Walton]

Interesting the development Allocation Plans (2013) say:-

Option A – Allocate for a change of use with the potential to deliver up to180 dwellings
Option B – Allocate for a change of use with the potential to deliver up to 150 dwellings
Option C – Allocate for a development of a hotel
Option D – Do not allocate (as existing)

I note the vendors already are trying to up this to 226 dwellings - far beyond what was agreed with the council!!
I could bet we get 500 dwelling by the time they are finished!!

http://consult.elmbridge.gov.uk/consult ... d=&voteid=

[webmaster]

Here is the image shared by Jon:

[Lewy]

Here is the image shared by Jon:

The 1960s were great weren't they?

[webmaster]

I personally really like the design of this building.

Sent from my LG-D802 using Tapatalk

[lesleymargaret]

From the picture it almost looks as if there are shops on the ground floor.

[Tim]

From the picture it almost looks as if there are shops on the ground floor.

And indeed that's where the staff shop was located when I worked there

[Christine E]

So after a year there's a lot to read through, but this caught my eye.

It's been known for a while it was possible if this site was sold the new owners might be putting in for residential development.

There are hurdles to cross, firstly the building being listed but also the change of use from employment to housing.

Crest Nicholson seem determined to try and get residential. While I would prefer to retain employment, can see why residential would be attractive. The costs of refurbishing the building are high and it's understood the fabric has what's called concrete cancer. I personally would prefer to see the facade retained but will wait to see with interest. Walton South ward seems to be hub of the local building industry. We are already the largest ward electorally in the Borough, and with all these new homes proposed before long we'll need another Boundary Review

I took up with the Council and Crest Nicholson the future of the Flt. Sgt. Charles Sydney RAF War Memorial and so far the developer seems on the ball with it, but do I hope under whatever plan comes forward they keep it where it is.

http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey- ... l-11401155

[Jonblue]

Would the developers be able to build completely over the huge lawn at the front of the old Birds Eye building I wonder.
It's a lovely open space following on from the Halfway Green and such a pleasant walk to the station. The moat round the building
used to be home to a family of moorhens and other wildlife for many years. It would be nice if something of this site could be salvaged
for the public but good to know that the flying officer's memorial will be preserved. Perhaps a larger landscaped garden/seating area
around this corner could be accommodated - something for the new council to consider at the planning stage.