David Bowie’s first ever gig as Ziggy Stardust was in a pub next to the A3 in south west London – and the historic event could now be commemorated as part of plans to build 950 homes on the site.

On February 10, 1972, punters at the now-closed Toby Jug in Tolworth witnessed Bowie debut his first and best-loved alter-ego.

And the developer who recently got permission to build a massive housing development there has said it will consider a tribute as part of its plans.

Bowie scholar Will Brooker, who has written two books on his musical hero, said: “I think it’s a huge piece of music history. Ziggy really represented the launch of Bowie’s career into the superstar status we now think of him as having.

“He’d hit high in 1969 with Space Oddity, but his star had faded somewhat.

“Ziggy Stardust is the image most people who aren’t major fans would think of when Bowie’s name comes up, and it was the Toby Jug of all places that he first tried it out.”

He pointed to the many other sites of significance to Bowie’s life and career that have tributes in place.

For example: the mural in Brixton where he was born; the plaque in Heddon Street in Mayfair where the Ziggy Stardust album cover photo was taken and a statue in Aylesbury, where Bowie played a few gigs in the early 1970s.

Mr Brooker, a professor at Kingston University who lives in Tolworth, said: “I think Tolworth, and I’m a local, could do with a bit of a boost.

“People come from all over the world to go to some of those other sites, and they’re missing out on a huge part of his career. If the Toby Jug gig hadn’t have worked, it’s not unreasonable to suggest his whole career could have collapsed.

“I’d like the tribute to be something tasteful – not like that statue in Aylesbury. There should at least be a plaque or possibly a mural.

“Tolworth deserves to be on the musical map.”

Accounts of the gig online describe the energy of the room, with about 60 people watching Bowie and his band perform on a two-foot-high stage in what was essentially a function room.

The tour that followed, and the release of the album later in the year, catapulted Bowie to heights of fame and acclaim he had never previously achieved, and cemented him as a cult figure for decades to come.

A spokeswoman said on behalf of developer Meyer Homes: “We are aware of the David Bowie connection, would be happy to consider something in conjunction with the council to recognise the historic significance of the site.”