You can read more information about the North Street redevelopment project that is taking place in the centre of Guildford elsewhere on this site, such is the extent to which it has been dominating the news in recent times. Now, news has emerged that changes to the plans have been approved that are far from delighting some people based in the town. That is on account of the fact that they are being described as ‘monolithic’ and ‘top-heavy’, with the main concern being that Guildford Borough Council has already given the plans the green light in spite of objections.
The North Street Redevelopment
The North Street redevelopment project is already fairly ambitious, completely changing the look and feel of the area. The fact that the company responsible for the changes refers to it as a ‘regeneration’ tells you quite a lot, given the fact that the idea behind it all is to bring new life to that part of the town. The work is expected to last for a couple of years, with the pedestrianisation of North Street looking to be completed by the spring of 2027. The work has been broken down into various phases, which saw the first phase begin at the junctions of Onslow Street and Commercial Road in the August of this year.
Residents are now well used to the disruptions being caused by the various works taking place in the area, which have included the permanent closure of Woodbridge Road, allowing for service diversions and demolition on the site. Similarly, the bus station that was located on North Street was closed recently, whilst the aim is to see it reopened in about a year’s time. St Edward, which is part of the Berkeley Group, broke ground on what was labelled a ‘landmark development’ earlier in the year, aiming to transform an area of Guildford that was previously disused and mainly concrete.
The redevelopment itself stretches from North Street itself and includes Leapdale Road, Commercial Road and a section of Woodbridge Road. The project will look to demolish existing buildings and put a new bus stop in place, alongside the likes of public squares, commercial spaces and new homes. When you add in the pedestrianisation of the area, it is easy to understand why there have been major changes put in place on the network of roads in the surrounding area. When it is completed it will be excellent, but it is causing Guildford residents issues in the here and now.
What the New Plans Say
The initial plans put in place for the North Street regeneration project have been changed and altered numerous times since they were first put forward, largely thanks to new ideas that have been considered. The new plans are specifically with reference to one building in the area as well as numerous design alterations that are out of the hands of the building company. One of the blocks in the area will be given an extra storey, which is where the criticism of it being ‘top-heavy’ has come from. Meanwhile, the height of some others is being reduced at the same time.
The reduction in height of some of the blocks has also resulted in the likes of revised balconies, as well as changes to windows and vents. The total number of homes being built was initially labelled as being 471, but this has now been increased to 479 because of the new plans. The planning officers responsible for the changes are convinced that the development will offer major benefits to the public, in spite of the impact that is being caused to residents in the short term. The thought process is that the changes will result in more benefits than harms overall.
Objections from Councillors
It might sound silly to say that the same councillors who have given the green light to the updated project have also made objections to it, but that is precisely what’s happened. Several members of Guildford Borough Council have lodged their complaints with regards to the new look of the regeneration scheme, with Richard Mills being the one who said that they were ‘monolithic’ and ‘top-heavy’. His fear is that the designs themselves now represent a ‘significant reduction in quality’, which will serve to weaken the project’s contribution to the townscape of Guildford.
At the same time, Joss Bigmore, another councillor, is of the opinion that the newly designed appearance ‘is never going to be the most characterful development’. Councillor Bigmore also issued a warning that the architectural finer points that had been used to persuade people who were ‘on the fence’ about the scheme to give it their blessing have now been lost. He urged the developer to ‘think again’, saying that the changes are ‘value engineering’ rather than ones that are being made for the good of the overall North Street redevelopment scheme.
Those responsible for the changes, meanwhile, have been quick to point out that many of them are out of their hands. Newly adopted legislation means that there are new building safety requirements that now have to be accounted for, such as additional evacuation lifts to be put in place, which in turn have led to changes to the internal layout of some homes. Floor-to-ceiling heights in blocks B and C have also changed, whilst larger windows have needed to be planned for where block E has been increased in size by 1.56 metres. The basement layouts have altered to accommodate the likes of a backup generator.