On 5 July 2023, the council adopted the Esher town centre vision as part of its wider placemaking ambitions that are centred on Elmbridge’s people and their needs and their aspirations and visions for their communities.
Placemaking is an approach that sets out an overarching idea that frames the reimagination and reinvention of public spaces to improve and strengthen the connection between people and places. More than just the redesign of buildings and streets - it is about uses and patterns of use, of sociability, activity, access, and connections.
With exploratory work being undertaken on options for redeveloping the Civic Centre and these showing that due to the size and location of the site being capable of significantly changing Esher town centre as a place, this has acted as a catalyst for placemaking across the town centre. It has also created an opportunity to drawn on our 2030 Vision for Elmbridge to take the principles of sustainable, thriving and community, and create a placemaking vision for Esher in consultation with the community.
Broader than a development brief or action plan; the vision for Esher town centre looks holistically at the wider area to guide and effect change. Therefore, as well as guiding the redevelopment of sites such as the Civic Centre, the single vision and direction for Esher will help steer and shape wider improvement projects undertaken with our stakeholders and partners which include for example, Surrey County Council.
Engaging with our communities
A draft vision was available for public consultation from 1 March to 31 March 2023. Over 50 comments on the draft vision were made at the launch of the Elmbridge Vision 2030 event on 7 March 2023 and over 850 comments submitted via the council’s online consultation portal.
Feedback from the public consultation has been used to update the vision.
Next steps
The next stage is to commission a stage 1 feasibility study to assess the options for, and deliverability of, the public realm improvements identified in the vision. This includes for example, increasing the permeability of the town centre for pedestrians and cyclists, decreasing the disturbance from traffic, and creating a children’s play space. These were key themes from the consultation responses.
Find out more
Read news about the Esher vision: