Want more news from across Surrey? Sign up to our daily newsletter! Sign up for free Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

A grand unified vision for the future of Camberley town centre - amounting to more than £300m investment - has this week been unveiled by Surrey Heath Borough Council.

The council executive was unanimous in its support for the Camberley Town Centre Statement 2014-2030 during a meeting on December 10.

Following years of sketchy proposals and rumours, the council has produced an all-encompassing, holistic guide to how each piece of the jigsaw will fall into place. These include plans to modernise The Mall Camberley, revamp the A30 London Road block and redevelop land east of Knoll Road to create a new cultural corner.

Infrastructure work includes a new railway station and car parking improvements, tackling long-standing issues at the Meadows Roundabout and traffic flow along the A30, as well as the M3 managed motorway scheme.

Council leader Moira Gibson said Camberley would play a ‘critical role’ in the borough’s economic wellbeing and reiterated it was the council’s ‘number one priority’ to deliver an improved town centre.

“We are also aware of the need to retain the essence of Camberley – including its proud military heritage,” she said.

“The plans will take Camberley to a whole new level, becoming a major retail and leisure destination.”

It comes as the council gears up for formal examination of its overarching Camberley Town Centre Area Action Plan, which underpins the statement, and will go before an independent inspector next week Thursday.

Split into six key strands, the total potential investment pot stands at £310m, although Cllr Gibson was keen to stress the document was still only an indicative reflection of the required works.

Around £120m will be invested in the north side of the town, including the A30 frontage, which will likely include a new anchor store stemming from £100m plans to regenerate the town's core retail centre in partnership with The Mall.

Land east of Knoll Road has long been earmarked for development, specifically for a new ‘cultural quarter’ capitalising on the town’s theatre, library and museum.

The library and nearby Portesbery School – due to relocate to Deepcut by 2017 – are under freehold by Surrey County Council. The council is proposing a £7m Discovery Centre housing the library and museum.

However, the statement’s plans for an 80-home ‘urban village’ nearby may rest on the future of Camberley police station, which in October was said to be subject to offers for a housing development.

Camberley railway station is also likely to get a substantial facelift.

Highways improvements include £5m from 2017 on the A30, £5m at the Meadows from 2016 at its junction with the A30 and A331 and a further £3m for new signage and CCTV along both roads.

And as part of a separate Highways Agency scheme £134m will turn the M3 between junction 2 and 4a, 13.4 miles through Surrey Heath, into a stretch of ‘managed motorway’.

“Our aim is to move the town centre regeneration forward and make clear our vision,” said Cllr Gibson. “This statement is to show the community the council is dedicated to moving Camberley up in the hierarchy of towns. This is the first step.”

Leader of the opposition, Rodney Bates, called on the authority to make the document more accessible to the public.

“Putting aside the development partners, the group I’m most interested in is the community,” he said.