Plans for new council homes on former sea cadets barracks to help reduce housing list

View into the site from Hawarden Rd, Caterham
-Credit:Tandridge District Council/Mackellar Schwerdt Architects LLP


Plans for new council housing have been submitted on a former sea cadet site in Caterham. The site at The Grove and Hawarden Road, including the former barracks, could be used for up to 16 homes.

The proposal includes demolishing the existing buildings and replacing them with 16 new homes, each with a back garden and a total of 35 car parking spaces. Planning documents show the proposed new builds will look “contemporary and minimal” to reflect the residential area and the previous army barracks.

Tandridge District Council bought the land from the Ministry of Defence in 2023. Following the deal, the Caterham Sea Cadets merged with the Coulsdon unit and relocated to Coulsdon Quarters. The council approved extending its pre-application budget from £50,000 to £100,000 to cover the additional costs for the scheme in June 2024.

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Councillor Jeremy Pursehouse, chairman of the housing committee, said: “We currently have just under 2,000 households on the housing register, including 444 in emergency or urgent need, with most seeking family-sized homes. The £250,000 awarded through the Brownfield Land Release Fund will be used solely to support the sea cadets site proposal for affordable rented housing. The budget for this project, as approved by the housing committee in November 2024, is £8.154million."

View east along the Hawarden Road.
Planning documents state the development will provide "significant public benefits". -Credit:Tandridge District Council/ Mackellar Schwerdt Architects LLP

All the affordable homes created in this development would be kept by the council and rented to families on its housing list. The proposed development could provide up to 10 three-bedroom homes, 6 two-bedroom houses and a wheelchair accessible one-bedroom home, all available for 70 per cent of market rent.

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Planning documents state: “The council’s pressing housing needs, ongoing failure to meet delivery targets [...] provide compelling justification for the proposed development.” It added that the “significant public benefits of the scheme” such as providing affordable housing and “improving” the appearance of the area should hold considerable weight against the loss of a now vacant sea cadet facility which was not available for public use.

A public consultation was held on August 8 to introduce the scheme to neighbours and the local community. Of the 50 people who responded to the consultation, 17 people (34 per cent) said they objected to the development and only 11 (22 per cent) supported it. Around 21 people (42 per cent) said they supported the development but had reservations about the proposal.

People are able to comment on the application on the council’s website until February 23 and a decision is due by April 21, 2025.