Councillors Welcome £52 million Grant Award for Weyside Urban Village

Published on: 2 Nov, 2019
Updated on: 5 Nov, 2019

The new Weyside Urban Village project took another significant step forward yesterday (November 1) as the chancellor announced that the council’s bid for £52.3 million to support the provision of 1,500 new homes in Guildford has been successful. The money is to come from the Housing Infrastructure Fund.

An aerial view of the Weyside Urban Village Site

The Weyside Urban Village project (previously known as the Slyfield Area Regeneration Project or SARP) is a key strategic site in the Guildford Borough Local Plan.

The Weyside Urban Village Logo

Situated next to the River Wey just two kilometres from the historic town centre, the development will be connected to the town centre and station through the Sustainable Movement Corridor’s planned cycle routes and footpaths.

Forty per cent of the new homes are expected to be “affordable”, ie require a rent of no more than 80% of the local market rent or mortgage payments that are above the cost of rent on council housing, but below market level.

The 41-hectare brownfield site is currently used for a Thames Water Sewage Treatment Works and a Guildford Borough Council depot both of which will need to be relocated.

Cllr Caroline Reeves

Cllr Caroline Reeves (Lib Dem, Friary & St Nicolas), leader of Guildford Borough Council said: “We are delighted that our bid for significant funding from central government has been successful. This will enable us to progress with our plans to build the homes our borough needs on this key strategic site in Guildford.

“The Weyside Urban Village will be a sustainable development with a mix of accommodation suitable for all, from families to young people and those downsizing. With links to our Sustainable Movement Corridor, residents will be able to cycle and walk into the town centre along the River Wey.”

Cllr Joss Bigmore

Other party leaders were equally enthusiastic. Cllr Joss Bigmore (Christchurch) leader of Residents for Guildford & Villages, singled out the support of Guildford’s MP: “This is fantastic news and we must thank Anne Milton for the role she has played promoting this project and funding bid.”

Ms Milton raised, specifically, the Weyside project in a debate in Parliament on Thursday. The Minister for Housing, Esther McVey, promised to look into the problems affecting progress (see: Housing Minister Pledges to Investigate Delayed Guildford Housing Development Scheme).

“Whilst this development is extremely complex and not without risk if we are serious about promoting brownfield sites over further incursions into green belt we must make it work. There is an exceptional team of officers working on this project and I hope the community gets fully behind Weyside Urban Village.

Cllr Susan Parker

Cllr Susan Parker (GGG, Send) said: “We welcome the funding to help this project.

“Development of urban brownfield is preferred to development of greenfield sites because it is more environmentally sustainable and allows us to protect our fragile natural ecosystem. The Weyside village site will be expensive and complicated to develop, but this additional funding should help this process.

“Brownfield development generally takes longer but it can (as in this case) help modernise our ageing and outdated infrastructure. We need to get to work on additional urban brownfield sites now.”

Cllr Angela Gunning

Angela Gunning, (Lab, Stoke), a local ward councillor, said: “We are very pleased to get the news of this funding at last.

“SARP has been over 10 years in the making, and we welcome this as the go-head for enabling us to relocate the sewage works and begin building the housing that Guildford desperately needs. Plans for an attractive riverside development of new homes will benefit us all.”