Templemere Background
Eric Lyons remains one of the most respected British housing architects of the 20th Century. He completely rethought how homes should work and placed three basic principles at the heart of Span projects:
1) Community as the goal;
2) Shared landscape as the means; and
3) Modern, controlled design as the expression.
Each Span development found ways of building homes around central or shared green spaces. The architect's aim was to engineer a sense of community by forcing people to interact. It has been said that Span thought about a community first and buildings second, using the placement of buildings to shape the communal space.
When Span estates like Templemere were built, houses were leasehold with Span (SRL Investments Ltd), as the landlord, controlling aspects like the appearance of houses. Residents’ societies were set up by Span so people had to interact and work together to maintain estates, which helped build a sense of community. When freeholds were purchased TRSL took over parts of Span’s “landlord” role, including control over the appearance of houses, but TRSL is a not a “landlord” and remains a residents society made up of likeminded freehold homeowners working together to maintain the Estate, including the original appearance.
The Templemere ethos is not one of overly interfering in what owners do to their homes with draconian rules and approval procedures. Under the terms of Scheme of Management the onus is on owners not to change the appearance of their properties and TRSL has produced the Style Guide to help owners with this. Community living does mean compromise and some repairs and additions have been made over the years which may not be ideal, so if you are planning any maintenance or building work, TRSL hopes you will take the opportunity to improve the appearance of your house and our wonderful estate.
It is recommended that you contact TRSL’s committee about any work you wish to carry out, who may be able to offer advice to help you achieve the right look and/or put you in touch with others who have done similar work, which could save you time and money.
NOTICE: This document does not supersede the Scheme of Management or TRSL’s Rules and is only intended as a guide to help owners with maintaining their property.
Useful Attachments
Templemere Style Guide July 2024
Templemere Residents’ Handbook
Templemere Management Guide
The Style Guide will be updated from time to time to reflect new materials, new legislation, environmental requirements, changes in the way we live, new technology, planning requirements etc. Please make sure you always refer to the latest version of the Style Guide, which will be found on the Templemere website or can be requested from TRSL committee.
Please note that the TRSL’s recommended designs and materials are separate to any Conservation Area planning requirements. Members should always check with Elmbridge Borough Council whether any work requires planning permission before they proceed. Should Elmbridge Borough Council ever refuse planning permission for a TRSL approved design or material, TRSL will need to revisit this and alter the Style Guide accordingly. It is advisable to obtain a lawful development certificate for any work that does not require planning permission so you have this on record.