Esher’s Civic Heart – update on Civic Centre

18 November 2024 update: Work is continuing on the options for the Civic Centre, either move to an existing office building and redevelop the Civic Centre land for housing or build a new Civic Centre on the same site and redevelop the land for housing.

We had planned to present these options to Cabinet in November and Council in December. However, we require additional time to thoroughly develop and cost the options to support the project business case. Consequently, the proposal will now be presented to Cabinet in February 2025.

18 September update: Cabinet approved this proposal. This will now go to October Council for final agreement.

With a new Elmbridge Cabinet established in May this year, it’s only prudent to return to Cabinet to provide an update on the options under consideration for the future of the Civic Centre, and its role within the Esher vision.

At Elmbridge’s September Cabinet meeting, Councillors will be discussing funding to evaluate the future of the Civic Centre building in Esher.

The Civic Centre serves Elmbridge Borough Council employees, Surrey Police, Elmbridge Citizens Advice, as well as two private companies renting space.

In November 2023, Councillors agreed with a residents consultation that in order to establish Esher as the civic heart of Elmbridge, the Civic Centre needs to be more accessible and integrated into the High Street; it needs to serve its employees, as well as its residents and contribute to the vitality of the high street.

In the last few months, exploration work has been undertaken to determine whether to construct a new Civic Centre or relocate to a building that better aligns with the services we offer residents, meets the needs of our employees, accommodates our partners, and allows for the most efficient use of space in a central town location.

In addition to the financials, assessments will consider the following:

• our contribution to the economy of Esher High Street
• our role as a key local employer
• our carbon neutral ambitions
• securing Surrey Police presence at a Civic Hub
• supporting the Esher Town Centre vision, including providing much needed play space
• implementing at a pace that minimises the disruption to our employees, partners, and our residents as user of the services we provide. 

Delivering much needed housing is a priority for Elmbridge Borough Council and the requirement for both town centre and affordable homes that meet local demands will also be considered as part of the future of the Civic Centre.

Following the Cabinet’s decision in September and Council’s decision in October, a further report will be presented to Cabinet in November for recommendation to December’s Council meeting.

For more information

You can read the September Cabinet report through our website.

The meeting on 18 September will also be webcast.