Overview
AWICS has been appointed as Independent Tenants' Advisor for the tenants of Sheerwater in Woking.
Flats at Sheerwater, Woking
Plans to transform Sheerwater were approved by Woking Borough Council on Thursday 6th April 2017. By using the existing sense of community, the regeneration provides an exciting opportunity to create a thriving, balanced and sustainable community for the future that meets the housing needs of residents.
The regeneration will allow local people of all ages to benefit from high quality new homes, excellent leisure and retail facilities, open green spaces and improved transport links, as well as a local centre that blends social, retail, recreation and community uses.
It will also provide economic benefits for local people and businesses by offering local job opportunities and ensuring that much of the money spent on the scheme is spent with local companies.
A wide range of house types will ensure a choice of modern, spacious, energy efficient homes that are economic to maintain, and flexible enough to satisfy diverse and changing needs.
More information about the Council’s plans for Sheerwater can be found on the Council’s website at: https://www.woking.gov.uk/sheerwater
Independent Tenants’ Advice
Adrian Waite, the Managing Director of AWICS Limited has been appointed as the Independent Tenants’ Advisor. He will be supported by the AWICS staff team. Our principal role is to provide relevant, independent and confidential advice to secure Council tenants who are affected by the regeneration in Sheerwater.
An Independent Tenants' Advisor is defined as:
"Independent impartial advice from a qualified organisation to ensure tenants have the information they need to make informed decisions on all issues affecting their homes and their lives."
The Community Charter for the Sheerwater Regeneration sets out Woking Borough Council’s commitments to residents of Sheerwater who are affected by the regeneration. Under the Charter secure Council tenants affected by the regeneration programme will have access to advice through an Independent Tenant Adviser.
How to contact the Independent Tenants’ Advisor
Any secure council tenant who lives in the regeneration area and who has questions or concerns about the Sheerwater Regeneration scheme should contact the Independent Tenants’ Advisor for advice.
Adrian and his team can be contacted free of charge by telephone or email as follows:
The freephone helpline is manned by Adrian and his team between 9.30am and 5.00pm on working days. At other times, tenants can leave a message that will be responded to on the next working day.
Email enquiries will be responded to within 24 hours or on the next working day, whichever is the later.
Please note that this service is only available to secure tenants of Woking Borough Council.
Sheerwater Tenants Housing Support Team
The Council has also appointed a Sheerwater Tenants’ Housing Support Team to provide information and advice to Sheerwater tenants. They can be contacted at sheerwater.tenants@woking.gov.uk
Since the works started on the Sheerwater regeneration, queries have been raised by residents who are affected by the works. The Council has therefore developed an online form intended to deal with such incoming comments, complaints or queries. The online form can be found by clicking here.
Parkview Community Centre
Information about the Sheerwater Regeneration Scheme
Information about the Sheerwater Regeneration scheme and about the activities of the Independent Tenants’ Advisor will be posted on this website as well as on the Council’s website.
The 'Purple Phase'
(Photograph from Sheerwater Regeneration Project March 2021 - copyright Woking Borough Council)
Development Agreement with Thameswey to be ended
In July 2023 the Council announced that, in light of the Council's significant financial challenges and the need to reduce its borrowing, the Council is planning to end its current development agreement with Thameswey and is seeking alternative ways of completing the project.
The Council has written to all tenants. To view or download a copy of the letter, please click here.
Louise Strongitharm, the Council's Strategic Director for Communities, is reporting on the matter to the Council's Executive on 13th July and to Full Council on 20th July. To view or download a copy of her report, please click here.
Repurposing the yellow phase community space is among the recommended actions to enable Thameswey to conclude its involvement in the project in the most cost effective way possible.
The Council understands that this news will be disappointing and will raise lots of questions. What happens with the future of the site is still subject to review, and the Council will be asking residents and stakeholders for their views over the summer to inform a further report that will go to the Executive in the autumn.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Sheerwater Residents' Newsletter for Spring 2023 includes an introduction by Louise Strongitharm, the Council's Strategic Director for Communities; News in Brief; Canalside Development News; and Community News. To view or download a copy, please click here.
The Sheerwater Residents' Newsletter for Autumn 2022 includes an introduction by Cllr Will Forster; Increase in compensation payments; Road closure update; Canalside development news; Construction update; Red phase scheduled for completion mid 2023; Copper phase scheduled for completion late summer 2023; Yellow phase bulding work imminent; Blue phase detailed design started; Sustainable development providing homeswith low carbon heat and hot water; Health and community campus Eastwood leisure centre news; and Community news. To view or download a copy, please click here.
The Sheerwater Residents' Newsletter for Summer 2022 includes an introduction by Cllr Will Forster; News in Brief; Canalside Development News; Commercial Update; Eastwood Leisure Centre Update; and Community News. To view or download a copy, please click here.
The Sheerwater Residents' Newsletter for Spring 2022 includes an introduction by Cllr Debbie Harlow; News in Brief; Canalside Development News; Sustainable Development; Eastwood Leisure Centre; and Community News. To view or download a copy, please click here.
The Sheerwater Residents' Newsletter for Autumn 2021 includes an introduction by Cllr Debbie Harlow; News in Brief; a Development Update; an introduction to the Copper Phase; and Community News. To view or download a copy, please click here.
The Sheerwater Residents' Newsletter for Summer 2021 includes an introduction by Cllr Debbie Harlow; a Compulsory Purchase Order update; a Development update; Community News; information about how the Council can support tenants; and information about Sheerwater Health Centre. To view or download a copy, please click here.
The Sheerwater Residents' Newsletter for Spring 2021 includes an introduction by the Director of Housing; news in brief; a development update that describes the purple phase that will complete in the summer of 2021, the red phase that is starting in the spring of 2021 and the Eastwood Leisure Centre that will open in September 2021; and Community News. To view or download a copy, please click here.
The Sheerwater Residents' Newsletter for December 2020 includes an introduction by the Leader of the Council, news in brief, community news and an update on covid restrictions. To view or download a copy, please click here.
The Sheerwater Residents' Newsletter for October 2020 includes a foreword from the Leader of the Council, news in brief, a closer look at the red phase, a development update and a feature on interim moves. To view or download a copy, please click here.
The Sheerwater Residents' Newsletter for July 2020 includes a foreword from the Leader of the Council, news in brief, a development update, information about continued support for residents during the coronavirus pandemic and community news. To view or download a copy, please click here.
In July 2020 the Council also made a statement about how they are seeking Compulsory Purchase Order powers. To view the statement, please click here.
The Sheerwater Residents' Newsletter for March 2020 includes a foreword from the Leader of the Council, news in brief, a development update and features on 'home sweet home' and street naming. To view or download a copy, please click here.
The Council considered a report on 'Transforming Sheerwater' at its meeting of 13th February 2020. This included considering how to take possession of all the tenanted houses and flats in the regeneration area. For further information, please click here.
The Council's December 2019 newsletter includes a message from the Council Leader, an update on development including the 'purple phase' and a news update.
To view or download a copy of the December newsletter, please click here.
A new scale of homeloss payments came into effect from 1st October 2019 under a government statutory instrument. Homeloss payments now have a minimum of £6,400 and a maximum of £64,000 (up from £6,300 and £63,000 respectively). At the same time the Council has increased disturbance payments that now range from £2,000 for a studio to £4,650 for a five-bedroom home.
In July 2019 works started. They are described in the August 2019 residents' newsletter.
To view or download a copy of the August newsletter, please click here.
In June 2019 works started along Spencer Close in readiness for the leisure facilities phase. The road in the close was widened, vehicular access was restricted and there were parking restrictions in Devonshire Avenue.
In April 2019 the revised hybrid planning application received planning consent. A newsletter was sent to residents during the week commencing 15th April 2019.
To view or download a copy of the April newsletter, please click here.
The planners at the Council sent out a neighbour letter in March 2019 about the planning application. There have been no major changes to the application. This is a further submission to address matters of detail and technical considerations related to matters such as air quality, drainage, refuse strategy and floor levels; there is also a correction to the number of properties being demolished.
To view or download a copy of the letter, please click here.
The Council has appointed Land Referencing Services (LRS) to undertake the land and property ownership research that is needed to prepare the Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO). The purpose of the research is to enable the Council to identify who has property interests in land (e.g. owners, occupiers, rights over land) in, and adjacent to, the Sheerwater regeneration area. They will need this information for when they make a CPO. The CPO needs to be served on anyone with a relevant interest in the land affected.
The Council wrote to all tenants in January 2019. To view or download a copy of their letter, please click here.
The Council publishes Residents' Newsletters that provide updates on the Regeneration project. The edition for December weas the last in 2018. To view or download a copy, please click here.
Information on the Consultation on the proposed changes to the tenancy agreements can be viewed or downloaded from here: Consultation on the proposed changes to the tenancy agreementsIn November 2018, Woking Planning Department sent out a neighbour letter about the planning application relating to the Sheerwater Regeneration. Changes to the Planning Application (PLAN/2018/0377) have been made in response to the comments and feedback received from the planning authority and the various agencies whose views were sought on the hybrid application submitted in March 2018.The changes are technical and will have little impact on residents. In summary they can be described as:
The letter explains how residents can make their views known about the revised application by writing to the case officer. The closing date for feedback is 6 December 2018. The letter may be viewed or downloaded by clicking here.
On 3rd August 2018, an article appeared in the 'Local Government Chronicle' about the Sheerwater Regeneration scheme entitled 'Woking gets radical to help those struggling to buy'. To view this article, please click here.
The Council has published a 'Sheerwater Community Charter' that sets out their commitments to residents of Sheerwater affected by the proposed regeneration project.
To view or download a copy of those sections of the Charter that apply to tenants, please click hereUseful Links
Here are some useful links to the Council’s website:
A Map of Sheerwater.
Flats on Sheerwater
Woking Borough Council plans to transform Sheerwater through a regeneration scheme.
To contact the Independent Tenants Advisor, Adrian Waite, and his team, email sheerwater@awics.co.uk or telephone the freephone helpline at 0800-321-3461.
Please note that this service is only available to secure tenants of Woking Borough Council.
Do You Need Information about the Sheerwater Regeneration Scheme translated?