Welcome
Following the major fire which destroyed its former self-storage and trade counter facility on Oyster Lane, West Byfleet in May 2023, Access Self Storage are currently working on new proposals to rebuild the facility on the same site.
This website has been launched to help local residents and businesses find out more information about the draft proposals and also provide an opportunity to give feedback prior to the finalisation of a planning application to Woking Council.
We are keen to hear everybody's views on two options for the restored building and are organising a drop-in session on Tuesday 5th November between 2pm and 7pm in the clubhouse of Byfleet Cricket Club. Parking is available for those that wish to visit by car, please use the entrance on Parvis Road.
Everyone is welcome to attend and view the plans and meet the team working on the project. For those that can’t make the drop-in session, we are also holding a live presentation (webinar) on Thursday 7th November at 6.30pm via Zoom. There’ll be an on-screen presentation of the plans and a chance to pose your questions to the team.
Current status
The 0.66 hectare site is located at 105 Oyster Lane, West Byfleet at the junction with Chertsey Road.
The site is found on the southern edge of a wider commercial area which stretches northwards to the railway line on both sides of Oyster Lane.
To the immediate north of the site is the Jet petrol filling station, while neighbouring to the west is the Oyster Park commercial estate with its dedicated entrance off Chertsey Lane.
Residential properties are found both opposite the site to the east on Oyster Lane and also to the south and south west on Chertsey Road.
The Access Self Storage and trade counter facility was completely demolished on safety grounds last year following the fire in May 2023. The South East Fire Investigation Group produced a report earlier on this year that concluded that the fire was probably caused by a faulty lithium-ion battery stored on the premises in breach of customer terms and conditions set by Access.
Surrey Fire and Rescue Service concluded that all processes and policies were satisfactory, and Access Self Storage was not found to be at fault for the fire.
The previous facility was a three-storey self-storage building comprising some 6,766 sq. m (72,829 sq. ft) and this was accessed off Oyster Lane just to the south of the Jet petrol filling station. The Access Reception was located on the north eastern corner of the site with an entrance set back from Oyster Lane.
In addition, two self-contained trade counter units totalling 824 sq.m (8,869 sq. ft) attached to the self-storage building were provided along the southern edge of the site with a separate entrance off Chertsey Road. These were occupied by Halfords and Screwfix and had nine dedicated customer parking spaces.
Draft proposals for local consultation
We’ll be displaying the draft plans at the drop-in session on Tuesday 5th November and showing them at the live presentation (webinar) on Thursday 7th November. We will also make the information presented available on this website.
In summary, the proposals seek to re-provide the self-storage facility that was destroyed by the fire.
In designing the replacement building, Access has asked its architects to bring forward a high quality commercial building that is sensitive to its surroundings, particularly the nearest residential and commercial properties closest to the boundary
A key issue for our consultation is feedback on two options for the redevelopment of the site:
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Option 1: involves re-providing what was previously at the site, a self-storage facility accessed off Oyster Lane and trade counter units accessed off Chertsey Road.
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Option 2: this will involve a self-storage facility only accessed off Oyster Lane. The trade counter units will not be re-provided and the access off Chertsey Road will be closed as it will no longer be required. This option includes a new, two-storey extension and landscaping on the Chertsey Road frontage.
As well as the alternative access points, the two options offer slightly different building heights, landscaping buffers and setbacks from the site boundaries.
What will the new building look like?
The best way to find out what the new building will look like is to visit our drop-in session or join our webinar. Once we have held these, we will also supply visuals and plans on this website.
The proposed materials include light grey and blue cladding. The grey coloured cladding will be on that part of the building closest to residential properties to give a lighter feel.
Access, parking and servicing
As indicated above, one of the key differences between Option 1 (self-storage plus trade counters) and Option 2 (self-storage only) is that with Option 2, only one site access off Oyster Lane will be required.
Option 1 will require the continued use of the current access on Chertsey Road so that customers can visit the trade counter units that would be reinstated.
Option 2 only requires 14 car parking spaces (including larger sized bays for vans and a space for people with disabilities) located in the yard to the north of the site, while Option 1 reinstates 9 car parking spaces accessed off Chertsey Road.
In terms of unloading and loading for the self-storage facility (both options), there will be a covered internal bay which will ensure that any noise will be minimised and contained as far as possible within the new building. The bay area also contains the goods lifts to all levels of the self-storage units. The access and servicing will be located at the furthest possible distance away from the nearest residential properties on Oysyer Lane and Chertsey Road.
Self-storage facilities are lightly trafficked as goods and materials tend to be stored on site for extended periods of time. The traffic analysis which shows this will be made available in a Transport Assessment as part of the eventual planning application.
As for Option 1 which reinstates the trade counters, there will be a return of vehicle movements on Chertsey Road as customers access the 9 car parking spaces in front of these units. As before, the trade counters would be open seven days a week and would follow normal retail/wholesale opening hours.
Expected traffic movements will also be shown in a Transport Assessment.
The self-storage Reception will be staffed between the hours of 0830 to 1800 Monday to Friday, 0830 to 1700 on Saturday and 1000 to 1600 on Sunday. Outside of these hours access will be via a controlled security gate using an app which is available to customers only.
Cycle parking will be provided for use by staff and customers in both options.
How to have your say and how we act on your feedback
With all their development proposals, Access places great importance on engaging with the local community and listening to and acting on feedback prior to any planning application being finalised. Proposals are regularly changed in response to conversations with the local community. In this case, Access is also consulting on two different options as the company would like to hear community views on both.
We always record the feedback received and our response to it in a Statement of Community Involvement which forms part of the eventual planning submission.
There are three ways you can give your views on the draft proposals. Nothing is agreed yet. We would very much welcome your comments and we would be pleased to answer any questions you may have.
- Visit us at our drop-in event – members of the development team will be present at the clubhouse of Byfleet Cricket Club between 2.00 pm and 7.00 pm on Tuesday 5th November 2024. Plans and information for both options will be available;
- Join our webinar – if you can’t make the drop-in event, you can join a live presentation (webinar) which will take place at 6.30pm on Thursday 7th November via Zoom. We’ll be showing the draft plans, answering questions and gathering feedback. It’s very easy to pre-register for this, just click on ‘Join our Webinar’ and fill in your details. Everybody is welcome.
- Give your feedback through this website - please use the online form below to give us any comments or ask any questions on any aspects of the proposals. We’ll pass on all comments to the design team and respond to any questions as soon as we can.
If you would like to speak with us direct about the proposals, we have also provided a help line telephone number (free to call).
Share your views
We’re keen to hear from as many people as possible about the plans for the redevelopment of the site. Please use the response form below to give us your thoughts or ask us any questions. If you prefer one of the options, please let us know. We’ll be considering every piece of feedback we receive and giving our responses.
Meet with us
We'll be at the clubhouse of Byfleet Cricket Club, Parvis Road, West Byfleet on Tuesday 5th November 2024 from 2pm to 7pm.
