Approval has been recommended for a scheme to replace the former BHS department store in Woking with a high-rise development of 272 Build-to-Rent flats. 

The proposal, submitted to Woking Borough Council by Donard Real Estate, which acquired the site in March 2022, proposes varied heights of up to 26 storeys.

The scheme includes 550 sq m of ground floor retail and commercial space at the 0.49-hectare site in Commercial Way. Flats will range from studios to three-bedroom units.

The plans go before Woking Borough Council’s planning committee on Tuesday, March 19. 

The existing unit currently has a British Heart Foundation shop using the ground floor but all floors above are vacant.

The application follows the 2020 refusal of a scheme for up to 39 storeys which would have accommodated 310 flats.

The team on the latest project includes POD Architects as lead architect and masterplanner, Turley as planner and Hoare Lea on sustainability.

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