Major plans to transform Surrey House in Eden Street have been submitted to Kingston Council.

The site, which includes the Hippodrome nightclub and sits within the council’s Eden Quarter development plan, would have 322 flats – 15 per cent of which would be “affordable housing”.

Shops and other commercial spaces would occupy the bottom of the 10-12 storey development, with the homes (from studio to three-bedrooms) on top.

Council guidelines for development in the Eden Quarter state buildings exceeding eight to 10 storeys require “an exemplar standard of design” to justify the impact.

Architects Darling Associates states in the application documents the height can be justified in relation to the surrounding buildings (including the 16-storey tower that has been granted permission in the Eden Walk development).

Pre-application advice from the Greater London Authority was also referred to as supportive, and the plan’s compliance with the objectives of Sadiq Khan’s London Plan.

At the back of the development, on St James’s Road, the car park would be extended by four half-decks.

While Lever House is on the site, because it has been refurbished recently there are no plans to include it in the redevelopment.

The proposed development of the Hippodrome caused anxiety over the future of Kingston’s music scene, and a petition calling to protect the music scene in Kingston attracted more than 5,000 signatures.