Cathedral Plans Published – Objectors Say It’s ‘All About Money and Greed’

Published on: 11 Jan, 2022
Updated on: 12 Jan, 2022

Plan of the proposed 124 dwelling development south and east of Guildford Cathedral. (Click on image to enlarge.)

By Hugh Coakley

Objectors have reacted furiously to a planning application for 124 new homes on land around Guildford Cathedral.

They claim the current proposed plans, “hardly differ from the previous set which failed to gain planning permission in 2017” and it is, “all about money and greed”.

But in the planning statement, a key reason for the development is to ensure funds are available for the long-term repair and maintenance of the Grade II* listed cathedral. This: “should be considered a significant public benefit and should weigh heavily in the proposals favour in the consideration of the ‘planning balance’.”

Architects drawing of street elevation of the south east section of the development viewed from the south.

Developer Vivid, in partnership with Guildford Cathedral, has submitted the planning proposal for the 124 new homes, 40% of which will be affordable and include 13 houses for Guildford Cathedral key staff.

The homes, ranging from one-bedroom apartments to four-bedroom houses, are to be built on land to be sold to the developer by the cathedral. The site is to the south and east of the cathedral.

Guildford Cathedral viewed from the south.

The homes will be heated using gas boilers even though installation of gas boilers will be banned for new homes from 2025 to reduce carbon emissions, said to amount to 14% of the UK’s total.

The developer, Vivid, says the alternative considered, air-source heat pumps, would “increase the utility costs to the homeowners”.

But some of the new homes will have environmentally sustainable “green roofs”. There will also be 327 photovoltaic panels across the development and it “will exceed Guildford Borough Council’s requirement to reduce carbon emissions”.

Comparison by Vivid of the rejected planning application in 2017 and the current proposal.

According to Vivid, the project will “help address the shortage of affordable homes in Guildford” and be a “new sustainable and attractive neighbourhood with improved connections to the town centre”.

Illustrative view of the new houses to the south of Guildford Cathedral near Alresford Road.

Controversial aspects of the plans include the number of homes exceeding the stated figure in the Local Plan and the routing of traffic through the local road network rather than onto the main cathedral access road.

The GBC Local Plan allows for “approx” 100 homes on the site but the developer has said that was “an approximate guide and does not take into account the size or type of homes that would be suitable” for the site. The failed application in 2017 had requested permission for 134 new homes.

See: Bishop Throws Doubt On Cathedral’s Future Following Planning Rejection and Cathedral Learns Lessons From 2017 Rejection But Objectors Not Convinced

GBC ward councillors Will Salmon, Jon Askew and David Goodwin (all Lib Dem, Onslow), commenting on the proposals following exhibition of the plans in September 2021, had concerns about access to the new houses. They said: “In our view, the main cathedral access route should be used since the infrastructure, including the large roundabout, is already in place.”

The current proposal does not link into the cathedral road but gives access for the new houses via Ridgemount and Alresford Road.

The objectors feel the “main focus on the carbon stats seems like a deflection”.  They said the proposals do not address local residents’ main concerns of “traffic, [building] height and density”.

They added that they were “becoming more saddened with the Cathedral’s use of the word community”, saying it was laughable that the “houses allocated to the Cathedral staff are in their own enclave with their own private access. Not really integrating with the community?”

The developers say that, in addition to comments from GBC, they received feedback from Historic England, Design South East, and the Cathedrals Fabric Commission England (CFCE), in addition to the views of the local community, local councillors and other stakeholders including Guildford Society, Guildford Vision Group and Residents’ Association. They are continuing to consult with the Guildford Cathedral Fabric Advisory Committee(FAC).

The Dragon has contacted the GBC ward councillors for comment on the published proposals.

See also; Feature – What Makes The Cathedral Tick?

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