An ‘eyesore’ site in North Cheam could finally be redeveloped as new developers have taken on plans to deliver 74 homes there.
The local MP said the site, which has sat vacant for 20 years, has become the “number one issue” raised by residents on the doorstep.
New proposals for the former Victoria House site in North Cheam would see 74 homes built in a six-storey development, replacing earlier plans for the same number of flats across a taller seven-storey scheme. Sutton and Cheam Liberal Democrat MP Luke Taylor believes the revised plans are better suited to the local area.
He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that the empty site would be replaced by a “good-looking building”, filling the vacant corner at North Cheam crossroads. He believes the one-storey reduction would also mean it would not jar with the rest of the area, where buildings are typically around three to four storeys.
“It’s much less impactful than the original plans, but also very different to what we are bringing to Sutton town centre,” he told the LDRS. Keen to address concerns about overdevelopment, he added: “That is something that residents will be very relieved by.”
The previous developer, Home Group, had secured planning permission to build on the site in February 2023 but was unable to proceed after rising costs made the scheme unviable. Mr Taylor said inflation following the Liz Truss mini-budget had significantly increased construction costs, with efforts to secure alternative funding and a buyout from the council ultimately unsuccessful.
Back in 2023, the LDRS spoke to North Cheam residents about the previous iteration of the plans. Paula Hobbs, who was optimistic about the plans, told the LDRS: “North Cheam has a chance to look less like a war zone.”
Addressing the site, which was and still is surrounded by hoardings, she added: “It’s an eyesore, it’s getting on everyone’s nerves. It got knocked down, and they were going to rebuild and make it fit in with the rest of the high street. This is what everyone is moaning about.”
Now, almost three years on, Mr Taylor said the new developer, Fancourt Group, is working with Sutton Council on revised proposals to make the scheme deliverable. Following a meeting with the developer last Wednesday (April 8), he said this latest development gives him the most confidence he has felt regarding progress on the site in recent years.
“The developer seems very optimistic that this should be a nice, straightforward development,” he said. However, when asked what Sutton Council can do to ensure the site does not remain dormant for another decade, he was more cautious.
He said: “National and international events affect us; all we can do is be as supportive and proactive as possible when opportunities arise.
“The support the council can give is to be as quick as possible in processing the pre-application. The council will then go back and forth with them to ensure it is acceptable.
“This site has befallen all the bad luck that could possibly happen over the various iterations of development there. Hopefully this time we are able to push forward with it.”
Mr Taylor also believes the new plans would bring other improvements to the popular commuter area. He told the LDRS: “The thing with developments like this is that it brings customers to the shops on the high street. It has space on the ground floor for commercial units as well, and it will just make that whole corner a little bit more complete.”
He also believes a completed development would deter any future antisocial behaviour on the site. “It is not at risk of being broken into, with kids playing in the rubble,” he said.
Sutton Council will hope to secure at least a third of the flats as affordable housing if the plans are approved at the planning stage.
