Surrey town upgrade could spell the end for two local blocks.
Two office blocks could be demolished to make way for a restaurant and up to 46 flats as part of the multi-million pound Transform Leatherhead project.
Plans would see the four-story Claire House and the three story James House on Emlyn Lane demolished and replaced.
The final decision on the proposal will be made by MVDC’s Executive on June 27 but it is recommended that £478,000 for professional services is allocated to allow a planning application for the proposed scheme to be produced.
Councillor Stephen Cooksey said: “This recommendation will see us spend half a million pounds of our resources on producing a planning application which is clear may or may not be successful.
“If it isn’t successful we will have spent that money, which this council clearly can’t afford, to produce something that isn’t beneficial to Leatherhead or to Mole Valley.
“I really would like concrete assurance that the money we are invested in here is actually worthwhile.”
Defending the amount of money proposed Nick Gray, a member of MVDC’s strategic management team, said it was a “general ball park figure” any developer would expect to pay for these types of services.
He said: “In terms of the half a million pounds for most of us in our real lives half a million pounds sounds like a lot of money.
“In this context I can assure you that it isn’t very broadly speaking on any major capital development you would expect professional fees of about 15 per cent of the total cost of the project, for architects, planners, project managers, quantity surveyors, etc.”
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