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Thursday 4 Nov 2010

WORK STARTS ON NEW STATION FOR EPSOM AS PART OF £31M SOLUM REGENERATION DEVELOPMENT

Region & Route:

| Southern

Work has started this week on a major transformation of Epsom station in Surrey as part of a £31m scheme to create a new retail, hotel and residential development by Solum Regeneration, a joint venture between Network Rail and Kier Property.

The mixed-use scheme will provide Epsom with 54 mixed tenure, affordable apartments for developer Orbit Homes, 63 private apartments, a 64-bedroom hotel and local convenience store, as well as a new station, car parking and increased cycle parking facilities for passengers and residents.

Orbit Homes will pre-sell the affordable shared equity units and let the affordable rented units in accordance with the lettings protocol of Epsom and Ewell Borough Council; the private homes will go on sale in 2011.

The development will fully fund significant improvements to Epsom station, including a new ticket hall, car park and additional canopy coverage with new toilets including those for the mobility-impaired on both platforms. The new station design means Epsom will be able to deal with projected passenger growth for at least the next three decades.

Network Rail’s director of property, David Biggs, said: “Tough market conditions have meant getting this project off the ground has been a challenge but we’re extremely happy to bring this investment to Surrey. The result will be a fantastic new station for passengers and a new retail and residential development in the heart of the town.

“Working in partnership with developers such as Kier and Orbit Homes allows us to make the most of our unique station locations for sustainable development opportunities. With over 2,000 stations serving as the gateway to all our major towns and cities across Britain, we are always looking for new opportunities to bring maximum benefits to our passengers.”

Kier Property commercial director, Nigel Turner, said: “This is Solum’s first scheme on site since establishing the business in 2008 and proves that the partners’ investment was well directed. We have the skills to knit together a complex mix of uses and deal with the complexities that the railway environment brings to a scheme. This is a blueprint we are rolling out across the Solum portfolio where we have planning applications already submitted at Walthamstow and West Brompton.”

Orbit Homes Development director for East and South, Maggie McCann, said: “We are delighted to be working with Solum, Network Rail and Kier on this development to provide high quality, affordable homes to the people of Epsom. By developing homes for rent and shared ownership, we aim to deliver a mix relevant to the local community, ensuring a range of needs are catered for. The provision of high quality affordable homes on the project has been made possible through the long standing partnership working between Orbit Homes, Epsom and Ewell Borough Council and the Homes and Communities Agency who part funded the project.”

Kier Group is constructing the scheme following a competitive tender process. The station will be complete by Christmas next year and all works will be finished by the summer of 2012.