Town begins to look on the Bright side
FARNHAM’S BRIGHTWELLS YARD FINALLY NEARING COMPLETION
DEVELOPERS of Farnham’s longawaited Brightwells Yard have teased several new shops, restaurants and activity spaces that will open in the next few months.
The new development follows a decade-and-a-half of delays and comes more than 15 years after an application to build on the site was submitted to Waverley Borough Council.
Brightwells Yard is a mixed-use redevelopment in the town, north of the River Wey, and is set to include a 25-unit shopping centre, six-screen cinema, cafés, bars and restaurants. There are also open spaces, parking and 239 apartments that range from one to three bedrooms.
The area has been referred to as the town’s “thorniest issue” by local MP Jeremy Hunt, but many residents remain optimistic and said they “see only positives”. Mr Hunt agreed “it is clear it is going to be fabulous” when he visited this month to open the scheme’s first commercial unit, the “plush” sixscreen REEL Cinema.
Brightwells Yard developer Crest Nicholson said construction is expected to be completed this autumn. It is hoped the central square will open in time for the summer.
Crest Nicholson claimed the development is “progressing well” and said it is “delighted” REEL Cinema has opened. A spokesman added that Coppa Club is in line to take up residence in the site’s “grand focal point”, Brightwell House, which is still being restored.
A separate application has also been submitted to the borough council that suggests Nandos has its eye on one of the units. However, plans have not yet been approved and it is understood no application for a licence has been made.
“Several other tenants are finalising the legal process, and we will be able to announce new shops, eateries and activity spaces for Farnham in the coming months,” the developer said.
Independent shop owner Annie Nunn said she is concerned “the excitement will wear off” unless there is more to draw people to the area, adding “it’s disappointing because everything has taken a long time” but that “it’s great the cinema’s open”.
The trader, who runs a business in Downing Street, described herself as “always optimistic” about the development, and said: “It would be great to really make a big deal out of it and to have more of a pull to Farnham.
“I think a lot of people head to Guildford for shopping. As an independent shop owner, it can only encourage more people and that’s great for us as well.”
She hopes Brightwells Yard will provide a space for high street brands that will “fit in and provide for people” but not cause independents to fight for their place, adding: “It would have been nice to have a big flagship open at the same time as the cinema to encourage people.”
The 43-year-old said: “Hopefully it doesn’t take too much longer. I think people just lost a bit of momentum with the excitement over it. We’ve been here the whole time so we’ve been hearing the ‘is it happening? Is it not happening?’ rumours.”
Farnham resident Dan, who works close to Brightwells Yard, said he “only see positives” for the scheme, adding: “Obviously it’s taken a while to get here, but I think it’s a good thing, it’s going to add a lot to the town. It’s been a long time coming, but I’m quite optimistic about what it will do for the town.
“There’s a lot of space here so you would hope they’ve got plans to fill it all. I think it looks great, so I’m hoping it has the impact on the town that it should do.”
Another resident claimed their opinion changed when asked about Brightwells Yard, and said, “I haven’t made up my mind”. She added: “If you’d asked me a little while ago, I’d have said the whole thing is monstrous. But when I walked through the other day, I said some parts, like the Dutch-style building, that’s quite interesting. And it’s nice to have a cinema.”
She said she worries “it could be a massive white elephant” and not live up to expectations, but added if she was asked again in a month her opinion may change because some parts “look rather nice”.
Crest Nicholson described the scheme as “mixing the modern development with the history of the town” and it is working with the borough council to restore Brightwell House in a “sensitive and true manner”. The Grade II-listed building has been described as “striking” and has been “an important feature for at least 200 years”, according to documents in the application.
Coppa Club was first announced as a tenant for Brightwell House in December 2022 when Crest Nicholson managing director Adrian Sims described the move as an “exciting addition”. Yishay Malkov, the CEO of Various Eateries, the group that owns Coppa Club, said at the time: “Brightwell House affords a fantastic opportunity to create a unique allday venue in Farnham very much with locals in mind.”
The Brightwells Yard website states there will be 72 shared-ownership homes at the site, providing a total of 30% affordable housing.
A spokesman for Crest Nicholson said: “We are pleased with the significant progress made in recent months and are excited about opening Brightwells Yard for all Farnham’s residents to enjoy.”