A major development for the former Birds Eye headquarters in Walton-On-Thames is one step closer to being finally approved.

Members of Elmbridge Borough Council north area planning sub-committee voted to permit the application for 375 flats and to demolish the iconic 1960s listed building known as Walton Court in Station Avenue.

The plans will now go through to the full planning committee which will convene at a special meeting on July 30 to discuss the proposal and either approve or object.  

Speaking with mixed emotions around the site which has been empty for nearly 10 years, sub-committee member Cllr Christine Elmer, who represents the ward in which the building lies, said she had hoped it would be occupied for employment use.

She said: “Fast forward 10 years and I’m really sad it’s become so derelict. We were all saddened by the sad state of it.

“I feel it’s right to convert it from employment use to residential.”

She ran a poll with followers on her Twitter page asking who wanted to see the listed building demolished.

Out of the 126 votes cast, 58% said it should be retained and 42% said it can be demolished.

Cllr Malcolm Howard said the whole matter was a “very unhappy episode” but that he “looked forward to a phoenix rising from the ashes”.

The application includes 375 residential units of which 137 will be one bedroom, 213 will be two bedroom and 25 will be three bedroom apartments.

A total of 99 units will be affordable homes.

There are plans for 375 parking spaces mostly in the basement as well as commercial units at the front of the site.

It had been hoped the listed Leaping Bird sculpture would have remained a feature, but that has gone missing.

More than 100 letters of objections were received from residents living nearby.

Walton Court was developed in the early 1960s as the head office for Birds Eye before later being occupied by Unilever, who vacated the building in 2008.

The sculpture was at the front of the building which was considered a modern listed building because of its geometric  shapes.

It was considered an “innovative” move by Birds Eye moving their HQ out of London and into a single suburban site like Walton.

Cllr Elmer abstained from voting on the application at the meeting on Monday, July 16 and the proposal to demolish the building along with Cllr Alan Kopitko.