Infrastructure Delivery Plan (Feb 2013) - Runnymede Borough Council

Chertsey:
Egham:
Virginia Water:
• Found to be predominantly a service and convenience goods centre.
Specifically, the presence of a number of banks in a town the size of Chertsey
was considered to be indicative of the dominance of the service sector. The
main driver of footfall within the town was found however to be the
Sainsbury’s Supermarket;
• The buildings surrounding The Crown Hotel and along London Street were
considered to be the best examples of architecture within the centre. These
buildings were considered to form an area of genuine environmental quality.
Furthermore, it was considered that whilst the majority of the conservation
area had the potential to be very attractive, the urban fabric was tired and in
need of investment;
• Chertsey’s town centre was found to be poorly regarded by the local retailing
community. The greatest problem was found to be the dislocation between
the main anchor retailer – Sainsbury’s – and the main retailing area. The
Sainsbury Centre (which links the Sainsburys store to Guildford Street) was
considered to be dated and provide no incentive for Sainsbury’s shoppers to
venture beyond the store into the rest of the town. As such it was considered
that Chertsey Town Centre does not benefit fully from the presence of
Sainsburys. The report concluded that the town centre was in danger of
regressing further unless there was new investment for revitalisation.
• Principal role of town was found to be to provide services and convenience
goods to those within the local catchment area;
• Centre was noted to be well located in relation to the road network, and easily
accessible, by both train and bus. In 2009 there was found to be a strong
national multiple retailer presence within the centre and a vacancy rate below
the national average;
• The car parking, access by public transport, restaurants/cafes/takeaways,
moving around the centre on foot and cleanliness were also noted to be
strengths of the town;
• Overall, the centre’s retail offer was found to be robust and serving its
purpose in that it provided for the service and convenience goods needs of its
catchment. It was considered however that the centre could benefit from
some investment to improve the streetscape and the retail units. It was felt
that the town would also benefit from the arrival of Waitrose which would
provide another major anchor store for the town, creating added interest and
footfall from which other retailers should benefit.
• A very small centre consisting of only 35 retail units. The role of the centre
was considered to be to provide food top-up shopping and services to the
local residents within a small catchment area.
• Both Station Approach and Station Parade (the key shopping parades) were
noted to be set away from the busy Christchurch Road. Units along Station
Approach in particular were noted to be of high aesthetic quality, creating a
pleasant, generally quiet and relaxed shopping environment.
• The centre was found to be well related to the local and regional road
network and the town’s train station was considered to provide the residents
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Runnymede IDP DRAFT – February 2013