Borough Council Expected to Extend Permission for Tunsgate Market Stalls To Trade

Published on: 19 Jun, 2026
Updated on: 19 Jun, 2026

Tunsgate Arch Market Stalls Google

By James Moules

local democracy reporter

Councillors are poised to wave through plans to keep two long-standing market stalls running at a popular spot in Guildford town centre.

Guildford Borough Council has applied to allow the stalls at Tunsgate Arch to continue trading for another five years.

These fresh plans would not change the operating hours – which would be open between 8am and 5.30pm from Monday to Saturday and between 9am and 5pm on Sundays and Bank Holidays.

The Grade II listed site would continue to host the market stalls in the exact same spot they have sat for at least two decades. The council’s planning application noted a “a long established tradition” of trading at Tunsgate Arch which until the 1990s was still a thoroughfare for motor vehicles.

“Tunsgate Arch has a strong tangible link to Guildford’s identity as a historic market town, built for the sales of corn in the 1800s,” the officers’ report reads. “More recently, it has been used for the siting of two market stalls in the south western recess since 1991.

“The application seeks permission for the continued use of this recess for two market stalls for a further five years.

“The stalls would be sited in the same position and would remain mobile, with no alterations to the listed building proposed.”

The council noted that the stalls are of small scale, and do not detract from the overall surroundings and the area’s historic architecture.

Its design and access statement says: “The internal area of the arch is devoid of much interest except the floor plaque.

“The market stalls add interest and character to the high street offering in challenging times for retail businesses on the high street.”

While planning officers had to consider Tunsgate Arch’s listed status in their report, they deemed that the stalls would not harm the “significance of these designated heritage assets”.

“Given that the stalls are an established feature within the street scape, having been sited within the site for a number of years, their continued siting would not materially harm the character of the existing site or the wider street scene,” they added.

Councillors are set to discuss the application at Guildford Borough Council’s planning committee meeting on June 24.