A housing development in Kingston will get 965 more homes, including 16-storey apartment blocks. 

Kingston Council has approved plans which will see 1,176 homes built at Signal Park, in Tolworth, overall – 226 more homes than the number originally agreed for the nearly 11-acre site.

The council approved detailed plans for 336 homes in four 16-storey apartment blocks to be built as part of phase two of Signal Park on Wednesday (April 1). 

It also gave outline permission for up to 629 more homes, a gym, café, shop, community facility and new pedestrian, cycle and vehicle routes to be delivered in the rest of the scheme.

The development will provide 415 affordable homes overall, or 35 per cent by habitable room.

The council's planning committee heard concerns future residents would complain about noise from neighbouring Tolworth Garage, which operates 24/7, at the meeting on Wednesday.

Consultant Gerard Manley, representing businesses at the depot, raised concerns the scheme did not include enough measures to protect residents from the noise of its operations. 



Visualisation of Signal Park, Tolworth, once phase two is completed. (Credit: Countryside Partnerships/The Guinness Partnership/PRP, provided in Kingston Council Documents)

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He said residents complaining about noise could "have a significant impact upon our clients' businesses, if their activities were then constrained".

A report by council officers said legal experts had confirmed it was unlikely any noise complaint would be upheld if the development was approved, with the buildings designed to protect residents from noise levels.

The committee also heard concerns from resident Bridget Walker, who said Tolworth did not have suitable infrastructure for such a dense development and the apartment blocks were taller than heights deemed acceptable in local policy.

"Densification meant for Central London will ruin Tolworth," Ms Walker said.

Lib Dem councillor Helen Grocott also raised concerns about the lack of parking proposed, at 241 bays, as she said the first phase of the scheme had already put existing parking bays in the area under strain.

Conservative councillor Ian George said he felt the scheme was "verging on overdevelopment of the site" and more suited to Central London.

The committee agreed to add conditions to the planning permission to address their concerns, including a requirement for some windows facing the depot to not open to reduce noise levels. 

The committee also agreed to require marketing materials to make clear the development was "car-lite" and next to a 24/7 depot.

The scheme is being delivered by developer Countryside Partnerships and affordable housing provider The Guinness Partnership.

Jamie Wilding, development director at Vistry Group, which owns Countryside, said the scheme had been "fully tested" and planning policy supported high-density housing on the site.

Mr Wilding said: "Signal Park represents a major opportunity for Tolworth and for the borough as a whole. It will deliver a substantial number of new homes, including a significantly increased proportion of affordable housing.

"It builds on the clear success of phase one and it will create a well-designed sustainable neighbourhood on a highly-accessible brownfield site."

Ben Cook, development director at The Guinness Partnership, added: "The application before you improves upon the previous permission in terms of design quality, ecology, landscaping, sustainability and affordable housing provision and crucially is deliverable, and will be delivered by the joint venture partners."

The council green-lit the original masterplan for the scheme in 2019, which proposed 950 homes overall. A total of 211 affordable homes were built in phase one, which was completed in early 2024, and are managed by The Guinness Partnership.

The committee approved the plans for phase two at the meeting, which will complete Signal Park with 1,176 homes overall.