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WEDNESDAY 7th DECEMBER 2005
By ANTHEA MASEY
WALTON-ON-THAMES has long been the poor relation of its much grander neighbours, Weybridge, Esher and Cobham. But this quiet suburb on the western edge of London, a 30-minute commute to Waterloo, is about to undergo a transformation.
Whole sections of Walton’s 1960s town centre are coming down and giant cranes are rising up over the biggest development the town has ever seen. Called The Heart, the first phase of the scheme, which will eventually include new shops along existing streets, a covered mall, a library, smart bars and pavement cafes, is now less than a year from completion.
Big-name new tenants – such as First Desire by Debenhams store to be opened in the South-East – are already signed up. It will feature the designers behind Debenhams’ special ranges – people such as Jasper Conran, Matthew Williamson and John Rocha – and its arrival has created excitement in the town.
The £120million scheme by O&H Properties includes 279 flats above the shops. These are being built around a first-floor communal garden for residents. The first phase, which is now selling off-plan, is due for completion in a year’s time, with the remainder ready for occupation during 2007.
Walton-on-Thames is a place with a strong public spirit. The Walton Society, established in 1975 with the aim of making Walton a better place to live and work, numbers nine of its members as local councillors, making Walton’s council one of the few in the country controlled by a resident’s group.
As well as a handful of fine historic buildings dating from when Walton was a quiet riverside village, there are miles of footpaths along its two rivers, the Thames and the Wey, which connect the town to Guildford and Kingston. At the weekends these are busy with families walking or cycling and, stopping-off at Walton’s famous pubs: The Anglers, with views of the chalet-style homes on the Shepperton side of the river and the Swan, which entered the history books after songwriter Jerome Kern married the licensee’s daughter in1910.
Walton has a wide choice of properties. About £150,000 will buy a one-bedroom flat in a Seventies block, while £1million will net you a detached home on one of its gated estates, which include Ashley Park, Burwood Park and Burhill Park, where Mick Hucknall of Simply Red live.
Warren Fraser of local estate agents Curchods, says Walton’s house prices lag behind those of its more prosperous neighbours. However, he expects them to start catching up once the redevelopment is complete. “Walton is already an attractive place to live, but the new shopping centre is going to bring new life to the town centre,” he says. |
