The proposed office block
Plans to generate hundreds of jobs by allowing Subsea 7 to build their new Project Office in Sutton have been given the all clear after the High Court backed Sutton Council’s planning process.
The decision by Sutton Council on 11th September 2013 to award Subsea 7 planning permission to develop the Brighton Road Car Park site was the subject of a Judicial Review application by local property developer Centro.
However, the High Court has ruled that Sutton Council’s planning process was sound and rejected the application for a Judicial Review. It also ordered the applicant Centro to pay for all the costs involved.
The decision paves the way for the council to continue the sale of the 1.36 acre site to Subsea 7 to expand its operations. The new development allows Subsea 7 to more than double its workforce over the coming years, preserves up to 780 jobs for Sutton, and makes the area more attractive for other firms to invest.
It is the third major investment secured by Sutton Council’s investment arm Opportunity Sutton in recent months with almost 500 new homes, retail and other commercial opportunities planned for the Sutton Point and the old gas works sites.
The High Court’s decision vindicates Sutton’s planning process. We now we have the green light to work with Subsea 7 to ensure Sutton benefits from a major investment, new jobs and other economic opportunities.
Our Opportunity Sutton economic programme is working to attract new businesses and development, and in just 18 months of operation it has already attracted over £322 million in planned investment, including the new Subsea 7 office.
While the Judicial Review application was waiting to be heard, Sutton Council had to pay for a package of security measures – expenses which could have been avoided if the JR application had not taken place.
The Council will now work with Subsea 7 for them to take responsibility for the site’s security arrangements – freeing the tax payer of this burden.
The plans are one of a number of high profile developments that Sutton has attracted through its inward investment arm Opportunity Sutton.
Last summer developer CNM Estates was given the green light to extend the existing Sutton Point building next to Sutton Station to a 22 storey high building with two new buildings connected to it that altogether will offer deliver 300 apartments, a 130 bed hotel and shops and restaurants. The development could generate up to 750 jobs.
In October Sutton Council granted developer LXB Retail Properties permission to build 186 apartments, a supermarket, shops, restaurants and a public plaza on an old gas works site off the High Street. The development is expected to generate 500 jobs.
The Subsea7 project came about because last year a report by Sutton Council found that there were high levels of surplus parking spaces in council run car parks in the town centre – enough to absorb any displaced by the closure of Brighton Road Car Park. Since the closure of the car park, traffic monitoring has indicated that there have been no adverse effects on the parking or traffic in the town centre.
This project will bring jobs to the Ward, raise property prices as demand for local housing increases, and have an uplifting effect on the local economy with 800 workers spending money in local shops, hotels and restaurants.”
I’m a resident of Girtin House a Neighbor household nearby the new Subsea 7 offices. I have to state that I’m very unhappy with the Subsea 7 development as well as many of other residents in our households as they are disturbing our territory with the construction activities. Moreover, they were requested to minimize the work impact to our household by providing additional measures and they’ve practically refused to do anything and have advised that they will do the work as planned which will cause 3 months of nightmare in our household as they will be using our parking and driveway. Sutton council have allowed them to do so as by law we our household doesn’t have the right to block the road. I don;t agree that Subsea 7 will really bring any more jobs as it is just a new office and all current employees will move to new facilities. Considering oil and gas industry recession we really suffer inconvenience for nothing.
Best Regards
Dear Mr Aslanov
Thank you for writing to me about the Subsea7 development.
I am not sure if you are aware but a liaison group meets every month in the flat of Saghi Family at 3 Girtin House for discussion with Subea7 and the contractors. My impression from these meetings is that the contractors are bending over backwards to meet the needs of the residents. I know there has been an issue about car parking in the road and my advice is for the residents to employ a private company to enforce parking controls. The road does not belong to the Council so it cannot enforce controls.
The development will lead to 890 staff being located at the new office. Of these a few hundred are currently in Quadrant House but those jobs would have been lost to Sutton if the company had built their new HQ in Epsom or Leatherhead, where they were also looking at sites.
The development will be completed, externally, by the autumn thought there will then be almost a year of internal fitting out. However I hope the disruption of the construction work will be over by the end of the summer.
Best wishes.