New Malden

The vision is to transform Cock Crescent into a vibrant, mixed use development at the new heart of New Malden Town Centre. Redevelopment will reflect the aspirations of the local community and the needs of the wider borough.

The planned redevelopment Cocks Crescent will include:

• the reprovision of a community leisure and wellbeing hub including a new 25m swimming pool and other spaces for community use.

• improved public open space which will include a new public square. 

• better pedestrian access to the High Street and surrounding area. 

• new high-quality and affordable homes that fit the character of the local area.

• Improved links to the borough’s growing cycling network.

We want to ensure the new development provides better links to New Malden High Street as well as improved pedestrian access for new residents to help encourage footfall to the local shops, cafes and restaurants and increase the vibrancy of the high street as well as the surrounding area.

Why we are looking to redevelop Cocks Crescent

Kingston’s population is set to increase by 30% by 2036 and New Malden, like many areas across the borough, will need to support this growth and help deliver new homes and local services.

The Cocks Crescent site in New Malden includes a leisure centre, Blagdon Road open space, as well as surface car parking. There are also a number of vacant or underused sites which could be put to better use. Together, these sites, including the vacant and demolished buildings, offer an opportunity to provide new homes whilst improving the current services provided to local residents, with the potential to improve the surrounding area and provide better community facilities.

How we got to where we are

Between 2015 and 2017, the council worked with the local community to create a shared vision for the redevelopment of the Cocks Crescent site. This resulted in the production of a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD). The Cocks Crescent SPD was adopted by the council in 2017 (further details can be found in our Supplementary Planning Document section). 

In February 2019 a report produced by Create Streets for Kingston Council outlined recommendations for the redevelopment of the Cocks Crescent site in New Malden. This followed a process of resident engagement at the end of 2018.

The report outlined thoughts on the engagement process so far and recommended the council considers a co-design process as the next stage of the development to maximise community influence on the plans for the site. The report also identified areas for improvement. We will be taking this feedback on board to inform the way in which we engage with the community. 

We are now building on the work carried out with residents and communities to date to ensure local residents can continue to influence the development of the area. 

The Cocks Crescent Supplementary Planning Document

Supplementary Planning Documents (SPD) are documents which provide further detail to the policies in the Local Plan. These can then be used to provide guidance for development on specific sites, or on particular topics, such as design. SPDs can be considered in planning decisions, but do not form part of the development plan.  

The Cocks Crescent SPD has five main objectives: 

1. Set out the long-term future for the site

2. Create a planning and design framework to deliver the vision

3. Enable the regeneration of the site as quickly as possible

4. Ensure the redevelopment is sustainable.

5. Ensure that the redevelopment is commercially realistic and deliverable

You can find a copy of the SPD on the council’s website

The Cocks Crescent SPD will guide the redevelopment of the site and maximise benefits for the community. All planning applications for the site will need to take into account the SPD. The council will refuse planning permission for development that does not contribute towards the overall vision for the area.

How the Cocks Crescent SPD was prepared and adopted

The vision for the Cocks Crescent SPD area was developed through a comprehensive process of analysis, assessment and engagement with the local community. Residents, leisure centre users, and in particular the New Malden Future Group played an important role in helping shape the SPD to reflect local aspirations. 

The engagement process carried out for the SPD included three stages:

• Stage 1 (summer 2015): high-level engagement issues and aspirations 

• Stage 2 (autumn-winter 2015): detailed engagement design options 

• Stage 3 (summer 2016): formal public consultation on SPD

Formal consultation

Once the SPD was drafted, it was formally consulted on for eight weeks (1 July  to 29 August 2016). 

During stage three of the consultation period, a total of 463 responses with over 6,000 individual comments, were received. The feedback was used to finalise the SPD (this is summarised in the Consultation Statement). 

Approval Process

The Cocks Crescent SPD was approved for adoption by the strategic Growth Committee in November 2016 (which had responsibility for regeneration and strategic planning). Following the community ‘call in’ in December 2016, the SPD was reviewed by Full Council in April 2017, where it was decided the SPD should be adopted. All planning applications for the site will need to take into account the SPD. Details of the full Council meeting are available on the council website.

It was agreed at Full Council that the SPD would be formally adopted. Its adoption statement can be viewed on our webpage.