Guildford’s Major Developments Making Slow Progress

Published on: 14 Feb, 2026
Updated on: 18 Feb, 2026

St Mary’s Wharf from the town bridge

By Esme Campbell

Progress on major Guildford developments is moving slower than expected and sometimes behind previously announced schedules. Delays, current and anticipated, are believed to be associated with the currently depressed housing market.

As those passing by the St Mary’s Wharf development (formerly Debenhams) will see, the groundwork came to a halt some weeks ago, with little or no activity visible since they were completed at the end of last year.

According to several well-informed sources, the £250 million project is facing a six-month delay, with the precise reason unconfirmed.

The developer, Native Land (NL), would neither confirm or deny the delay, but said it will look for a new contractor to continue construction soon.

A spokesperson said: “Native Land is now undertaking the next stage of design to enable a Main Contractor to be tendered over the coming months and recommencing on site thereafter.

The groundwork at St Mary’s Wharf came to a halt before Christmas.

“In the meantime, the site is being monitored with robust security measures including patrols and 24/7 CCTV surveillance.

“We look forward to sharing further updates as the project continues to progress.”

The Guildford Dragon also received report of water ingress occurring at basement levels, always a higher risk for riverside developments, especially when river levels are raised, as they have been recently. Asked to confirm the report, NL would only give assurance that the first phase of work “included flood defence measures as approved by the Environment Agency”.

The company did not address whether St Mary’s Wharf has the necessary funding secured, which industry contacts expect is the main reason behind the delay.

The only funding details to be publicly disclosed is an £18.5 million agreement with property manager and investor Grosvenor, announced in 2024.

It is known that property developers are treading carefully at the moment, due to rising building costs and changes in the property market.

Property value has dropped significantly since the planning application was approved in 2022. House prices, nationally, averaged £23k cheaper in November 2025 than December 2022, according to figures from the government and the Office for National Statistics.

With little information on the project’s progress, some Guildford residents have taken to speculating on Facebook. Others have expressed frustration over the lack of information, with one resident saying: “The local people deserve to know what’s going on with the site.”

Even Guildford Borough Council (GBC), which oversees the planning process, does not seem to have any further information.

Cllr Fiona White

Fiona White (Lib Dem, Ash Wharf), GBC’s lead councillor for Planning, said: “The most recent update we have received is that the development is currently in a natural pause.

“The first part of the construction programme has been completed, and the next phase is being finalised before works recommence on site.

“St Mary’s Wharf is a complex project located on a very constrained site. It is not a scheme that can be delivered quickly.”

Developer Native Land has several other projects under way in London.

Solum Car Park – still not open.

Solum’s Redevelopment by Guildford Station

Other Guildford developments also appear to be facing barriers. The Solum scheme by Guildford station has previously experienced delays, and questions are now being asked about the deferred opening of the seemingly complete car park, now due to open in late spring this year.

The lost opportunity cost appears serious. Profit made from car parking provision in Guildford can be considerable. Car parking is GBC’s biggest earner.

The next phase of construction began last month.

The St Edward’s regeneration scheme in North Street

St Edward’s North Street Regeneration

Meanwhile, the North Street regeneration has already amended its plans, which GBC approved despite councillors criticising the new design.

The changes include an extra storey on one of the blocks, with developers arguing the revisions were needed to accommodate new building regulations.

When the North Street plans were initially approved in 2023, the building height had been reduced from the original design which GBC’s Planning Committee had refused.

A view of the North Street project from Leapale Road.

The same thing happened with the St Mary’s Wharf application the year before. Sources anticipate that the developers may ask the council for another storey to achieve project viability. Sceptics say this is a common tactic used by developers to maintain profit margins.

But Cllr White said GBC has not received any applications to amend the planning permission at this time, but added: “It is not uncommon for developments of this scale and complexity to bring forward changes.”

The approved design includes just five units of affordable housing, as agreed with GBC.