A major regeneration project bringing hundreds of new residences to a town centre has taken a significant stride forward.

The eagerly anticipated Crawley Station Gateway initiative has received a recommendation for consent from planning officers prior to a Crawley Borough Council planning committee session scheduled for March 30, potentially enabling construction to commence after almost ten years of development.

The proposals comprise two interconnected planning submissions.

The Overline House portion of the project, encompassing Crawley Railway Station, is seeking full consent to transform an office building above the station and construct a two-storey addition to house 83 apartments.

The scheme would additionally feature commercial premises at ground level and enhancements to the railway station, including a contemporary projecting canopy.

A separate reserved matters submission for the broader Station Gateway location has also been filed, following outline consent granted in 2016.

This addresses three new residential buildings providing an additional 223 apartments, along with parking provision, bicycle storage facilities, landscaping works, and an improved public walkway to East Park via a restored footbridge.

Full consent for the scheme was anticipated to be awarded in 2021, however the introduction of water neutrality obligations before all necessary agreements could be finalised resulted in the proposals remaining stalled since that time.

These neutrality conditions are no longer applicable, though the council has subsequently implemented a new local plan, necessitating renewed committee consideration.

The town centre project intends to deliver a combined total of 306 dwellings, making a substantial contribution to Crawley’s housing objectives.

However, among the initial 83 residences within the Overline House structure, just eight will be designated as affordable accommodation, as providing additional units is considered financially unviable.

The larger 223-dwelling component will contain no affordable housing due to comparable viability constraints.

The 223 residences would be constructed across three separate buildings.

The easternmost structure, designated Building 3, would adjoin Overline House and rise to a maximum of ten storeys, comprising 97 apartments and a ground-level car parking facility.

The intermediate structure, Building 2, would extend to nine storeys and contain 88 apartments.

The final eastern structure, Building 1, would reach a maximum of seven storeys and accommodate 38 apartments.

Stairways would also be incorporated between Buildings 2 and 3, connecting Station Way to a restored pedestrian bridge crossing the railway line toward East Park.

The railway bridge is subject to a further planning submission proposing a modification to its alignment.

A total of 75 parking bays would be provided beneath the structures.

Improvements to Crawley station complement recent works, including the installation of new ticket barriers and renovation of facilities.

The proposed supplementary works would increase ticket barriers from three to four, seeking to enhance capacity.

Planning officers have identified certain concerns regarding the scheme, encompassing residential space standards, external amenity provision and reduced daylight and sunlight access for certain units.

A limited number of the proposed apartments marginally fall short of minimum space criteria, though this is considered offset by the beneficial contributions of the development.

The proposals will undergo consideration by the council’s planning committee on March 30.