Civic Quarter

We’re pleased to confirm that the outline planning application for the Civic Quarter Masterplan has now been submitted to Rushmoor Borough Council for determination.  The application can be viewed by visiting the Council’s Planning Portal and entering the reference number – 22/00193/OUTPP – when prompted.

Please click here to view the press notice for the submission of the Civic Quarter application.

Alternatively, please click here to download the exhibition boards.

The Civic Quarter site sits to the south of Farnborough town centre and has been identified as a significant opportunity to develop a new heart for the town. 

The masterplan area is currently home to the library, offices, a skate park, the former Elles Hall Community Centre, police station sites, Farnborough Leisure Centre, car parks and open space. The emerging ‘Civic Quarter’ regeneration proposals would see this transformed into a mixed-use space with new opportunities for town centre living, alongside active ground floor spaces for shops, cafes and restaurants, library, a new leisure centre and community space. Strategically located in the heart of the proposals is the creation of a new open space which will be well connected for all to encourage maximum footfall.

Early public engagement on the Civic Quarter

As part of the 2019 public consultation and vision workshops undertaken by the Council and GT3 architects, they asked for feedback on people’s perceptions of the current site and Farnborough as a whole. As a result of these responses, eight key objectives for the Masterplan were established, and were used to develop the proposals. These objectives are shown on the right. In addition to this, consultation took place in March 2021 to ask local people what they would like to see included as part of the Masterplan. This feedback has also been used as a basis for the Masterplan proposals which were consulted on in September 2021.

Thinking for the future of Farnborough

We are currently exploring an exciting new way to think about placemaking, where development is designed so that everything you need to live, work and enjoy your time is in reach within a 15-minute walk or bike ride.

This is 21st Century thinking for the future of Farnborough. Looking at a new place in this way reveals different possibilities for sustainable town centre living, and allows people to celebrate their community, shop local, access services, work collaboratively and socialise with friends.

The proposed Masterplan

The proposed Masterplan for Farnborough’s new Civic Quarter has been informed by the feedback received in our previous consultations. 

‘For more information about the Civic Quarter Masterplan please click below to enter our virtual exhibition room.

Public consultation and next steps

The outline planning application for the Civic Quarter project has now been submitted to Rushmoor Borough Council. The application can be viewed by visiting the Council’s Planning Portal and entering the reference number – 22/00193/OUTPP – when prompted. We have reviewed the feedback given by local people and compiled it into the Statement of Community Involvement, which has been submitted as part of the planning application.

Civic Quarter - Your Questions Answered

The Civic Quarter site sits to the south of Farnborough town centre and is currently home to the library, offices, a skate park, the now demolished Elles Hall and police station sites, Farnborough Leisure Centre (currently closed), car parks and open space.

The scheme is being brought forward by the Rushmoor Development Partnership (RDP), a joint venture between Rushmoor Borough Council and Hill Investment Partnerships. Our aim is to create distinctive, mixed-use town centres that offer high-quality retail, entertainment and cultural enrichment, alongside exciting employment opportunities and the delivery of much-needed new homes.

The Civic Quarter site has been identified as a significant opportunity to develop a new heart for the town and meet the Council’s housing requirements. Regenerating the site will transform it into a mixed-use space with new opportunities for town centre living, alongside ground floor spaces for cafes and restaurants, library and community space. It would also enable Rushmoor Borough Council’s separate plans to provide a new leisure centre.

We consulted local people in March 2021 on what they would like to see prioritised as part of the Civic Quarter Masterplan, this consultation was guided using eight objectives established using the 2019 public consultation feedback that will be used to bring forward the development. They are:

The masterplan will include the following:

  • Approximately 1,000 new homes designed for different housing needs in the local community
  • A new Leisure and Civic Hub building incorporating sports facilities, a library and community space
  • A new hotel
  • A new skate park
  • A large destination central park which will create an outdoor heart for community activity
  • New shops, cafes and restaurants to help boost the local economy


More details about the masterplan can be found on the exhibition boards in our virtual exhibition room.

This is a new way of thinking about how we design places, where development is created so that everything you need to live, work and enjoy your leisure time is in reach within a 15-minute walk or bike ride. This concept will help create a thriving community and sustainable local economy and is 21st Century thinking for the future of Farnborough.

Images of the proposed Civic Quarter, as well as details of the proposals, can be found on the exhibition boards in our virtual exhibition room.

As you may be aware, Elles Hall and the former police station have now been demolished. An improved library space and community facilities will form an important part of the Civic Quarter masterplan, alongside a new square that provides multi use play space for older and younger children, with facilities for skaters and kick bike users.

Rushmoor Borough Council has separate plans to create a new leisure centre, and the Civic Quarter site is providing the space for this. 

The consultation on the Civic Quarter has now closed. We will review the feedback given by local people and bring forward a finalised version of the Masterplan. This will be submitted as part of a planning application to Rushmoor Borough Council in Autumn 2021.

The consultation on the Civic Quarter has now closed. Thank you to everyone who took part and submitted their feedback.

 

Should you have any questions or wish to speak with a member of the project team, please call or email using the details provided below under ‘How can I get in contact?’

Please see below for our contact details:

Phone: 0800 368 7592 (Freephone)

Email: information@rdpllp.co.uk

Post: RDP Consultation Team, c/o Snapdragon at PLMR, Church House, 29 Great Smith Street, London, SW1P 3BL