Aldershot Town Centre, Rushmoor
The opportunity
Rushmoor Borough Council has an ambitious multi-million-pound regeneration programme for Aldershot town centre which seeks to create a distinctive, mixed-use centre with a high-quality housing, leisure, cultural, employment and retail offer. Over the next 5-7 years, the two key development opportunities, Union Yard & The Galleries will transform the town, delivering almost 700 new homes, purpose-built student accommodation, flexible high-quality retail, commercial and leisure space, alongside new public spaces in the form of a Makers’ Yard and a new town square.
Location
Known as the home of the British Army, Aldershot has been one of the most important military towns in the UK since 1854. Aldershot is about 32 miles south west of central London, is easily accessible via the major motorway networks of the M25 and M3 and is well served by public transport.
Details
Union Yard
The Union Yard regeneration scheme sees the comprehensive redevelopment of a key area at the heart of the town centre. Features of the scheme include flexible ground floor retail, commercial and leisure space, newly built high-quality apartments and purpose-built student accommodation aligned to further education providers.
A £40 million investment being funded and delivered by the Rushmoor Borough Council. The scheme is in construction phase with a target completion of mid-2024.
Units numbers and commercial space:
- 100 residential units
- 128 units of purpose built student accommodation (PBSA)
- 2,237 sqm GEA commercial floorspace
The Galleries
The vacant Galleries Shopping Centre will be transformed into a high quality and comprehensive residential-led mixed use scheme. The commercial, retail and public space is predominantly at ground floor level with new build apartments above.
The site has a footprint of approximately 18,000 square metres.
Units numbers and commercial space:
- Approx. 600 residential apartments
- Approx. 3,000 sqm flexible commercial space
- Approx. 3,000 sqm new public realm
Planning
The Rushmoor Local Plan guides the location, scale and type of future development in Rushmoor Borough up to 2032 and provides detailed development management policies to be used in determining planning application. Policy SP1.4 (The Galleries) and Policy SP1.5 (Union Street East) provide the policy context for regeneration.
The Aldershot Town Centre Prospectus SPD sets out a strategy for regeneration based on viable investment and development options to attract and support investment in Aldershot town centre. The prospectus sets out a high-level approach to the town’s future identity while drawing out specific development and investment projects at key sites in the town.
Local authority: Rushmoor Borough Council
Landowners: Union Yard – Rushmoor Borough Council | The Galleries – Shaviram Aldershot Ltd
Development address: Aldershot Town Centre, Aldershot, GU11 1DA
