Plans for 27 town centre flats have been approved despite concerns over the complete lack of affordable housing within the Woking Borough Council-owned building.

The new homes will replace the top two floors of the former office block in Church Street, Woking, off Goldsworth Road.

They include a massive 51 car parking spots, as part of the conversion already included spaces on the lower floor and basement. 

Despite some dissenting voices, councillors present during the Tuesday, June 3, planning committee voted through the plans with minimal fuss as the rules surrounding office-to-home conversions restricted their powers.

Even though it owned the building, the council did not push for affordable housing, with officers telling the meeting it was not required as part of the conversion from offices.

Councillor Daryl Jordan (Independent, Byfleet and West Byfleet) said: “I’m fairly upset that there is no social housing, which gets dumped on other people.

“I understand there is no requirement but I’m nonetheless upset.

“The (flats) are all small and there is nothing for families.”

Previous efforts to turn the former block into housing failed over light and noise issues, but officers assured members these had since been addressed.

Externally the building will remain the same, despite the near 40 year old frontage. 

The three-storey office building between Church Street West and Goldsworth Road sits within the defined Woking Town Centre.

The building forms around a central courtyard with parking at the basement and lower ground floor level.

Unusually, some of the partitions between the flats will be through the external glazing and, again, the planning committee was told it was not within its powers to determine how the flats should be laid out.

Officers said: “There are a fixed list of issues we can address – but the partitioning of apartments is not one.”