Estate Plan
In 2013 Royal Holloway appointed Stride Treglown to coordinate the preparation of a new 20-year estate vision for the main campus. The Estate Plan was prepared over a 9 month period and supported an outline planning application seeking permission in principle to deliver a comprehensive redevelopment scheme across the campus.
The proposal included a net increase of academic floor space totalling c.55,000sqm and an additional c.71,000sqm of student residential accommodation (c2,650 beds). At the time of the 2014 outline planning application submission, the term “masterplan” was used to describe the development proposals. The university prefers to use the term “Estate Plan” when describing the university’s development future proposals. References to “Masterplan” may be referred to in the context of the previous planning. Submission.
Outline planning permission for the was granted by Runnymede Borough Council, as the Local Planning Authority for the area in April 2015. That permission remains live and the university retains the ability to submit detailed design proposals (called Reserved Matters) to progress projects in line with the development principles set out in the outline permission.
Working with the brief – around constraints and opportunities
The 2015 Estate Plan considered initial development impacts and mitigation measures, including opportunities to deliver water management, conservation and biodiversity gains. Revisions were made during the determination period of the application to reflect changes in the brief, both generated by the university, but also the planning authority in relation to both minimising green belt impact and ensuring sufficient opportunities to increase car parking across the campus.
Public Consultation
As part of the outline planning application process in 2014/15, the university held a number of exhibitions and public meetings to present long term development aspirations. Subsequent exhibitions and a public meeting were held in relation to the development of the George Eliot Halls (2017).
During 2019, in the run up to the submission of the outline planning application for the Rusham Park student village, Stride Treglown helped to organise three rounds of public consultation. These sessions presented a number of emerging projects at various stages of maturity: these included Rusham Park, Car Park 14, Enterprise Centre, Eastern Gateway Building, Handa Noh Theatre relocation, Piggery Gate Junction, Ripley Springs environmental enhancements, Campus Spine Road and Sothern Link Road.
The exhibitions raised awareness of the university’s plans, and sought comments about how the university might manage its estate in the future. Comments were received in relation to emerging projects and these were presented to the relevant design teams to help shape development proposals.
Holistic sustainable approach to buildings and urban design
The Estate Plan embedded early development projects including the enhancement of the university’s sports facilities and new playing pitches. It also successfully supported the new 10,500sqm library and student services centre, called the Emily Wilding Davison Building, adjacent to the Founder’s Building and supported an integrated campus-wide landscape and ecological management strategy. This included a Suitable Alternative Natural Green Space (SANGS) proposal to manage and open up parts of the undeveloped areas of the campus to the public. This strategy will be delivered in phases over the development period.
Obtaining planning permission / approvals
Outline planning permission was secured in April 2015. Since that time, a number of key buildings and projects have been delivered as reserved matters submissions in line with the outline permission. These include the new Library and Student Services Centre (Emily Wilding Davison Building), the new sports pitches on Nobles Field, the new science building (Beatrice Shilling Building) and 620 new student study bedrooms (George Eliot Hall) located to the north of the A30.
Other academic projects are currently being progressed and are at different stages of the design process.
Two versions of the Campus Estate Plan are currently in circulation. The first, dated 2015, is that which is referenced in the outline planning permission decision notice. The second is an update of the 2015 image, prepared in 2017. This captured those projects which had been completed since the outline planning application was granted. The updated plan includes reference to George Eliot Hall, the Emily Wilding Davison Building, layout changes to Car Park 14 and the Beatrice Shilling Building.
Runnymede Borough Council acknowledged that the 2015 Estate Plan is the “starting point” for considering the acceptability of development proposals, but accepts that the 2017 version will be a material consideration.
Over time, the opportunity exists to further refine the plan to capture completed developments where only plots were identified. The regularity of updating the plan, and the status it would have in the context of the outline planning permission will be a matter for ongoing dialogue between the university and Runnymede Borough Council.
Development proposals which are considered not to be in accordance with the fundamental principles of development as set out within the floor area parameters of the outline planning permission will not be progressed as reserved matters submissions, but as fresh planning applications. All submissions will be the subject of public consultation procedures as required by the Town and Country Planning Act.
For further information, please see the Projects.
ViewBaseline Estate Plan (2015) and Revision (2017)
2015 Estate Plan
2017 Estate Plan
Two versions of the Campus Estate Plan are currently in circulation. The first, dated 2015, is that which is referenced in the outline planning permission decision notice. The second is an update of the 2015 image, prepared in 2017. This captured those projects which had been completed since the outline planning application was granted. The updated plan includes reference to George Eliot Hall, the Emily Wilding Davison Building, layout changes to Car Park 14 and the Beatrice Shilling Building.
Runnymede Borough Council acknowledges that the 2015 Estate Plan is the “starting point” for considering the acceptability of development proposals, but accepts that the 2017 version will be a material consideration. Over time, the opportunity exists to further refine the plan to capture completed developments where only plots were identified. The regularity of updating the plan, and the status it would have in the context of the outline planning permission will be a matter for ongoing dialogue between the university and Runnymede Borough Council.
Development proposals which are considered not to be in accordance with the fundamental principles of development as set out within the floor area parameters of the outline planning permission will not be progressed as reserved matters submissions, but as fresh planning applications. All submissions will be the subject of public consultation procedures as required by the Town and Country Planning Act.