Letter: 13 Storeys Will Always Be Too High for Guildford

Published on: 20 Jun, 2022
Updated on: 20 Jun, 2022

Plans for up to 13 storeys high at the northern end of the four-acre North Street Regeneration site.

From: Roshan Bailey

In response to: Stakes Could Not Be Higher for North Street Plan

I looked at the plans for North Street and sat through the recent online consultation session but have to confess I had entirely missed the proposal for a 13-storey building. It must surely have been hidden deeply as I would expect it to jump off any page I was reading.

In my view, 13 storeys is, and will always be, totally unacceptable for Guildford. It would destroy the beauty and integrity of what makes Guildford Guildford.

Proposals for other buildings as high as eight storeys would need extremely strong justification based on location, impact on skyline and need, but 13 storeys anywhere and for any reason would destroy the character of our lovely historic gap town and to my mind should simply not be entertained as a serious proposition.

Responses to Letter: 13 Storeys Will Always Be Too High for Guildford

M Durant Reply

June 20, 2022 at 6:28 pm

I agree it’s not going to stop at one tall building. When you start with one in the centre of town they will continue building high, possibly on the Portmouth Road and on the Debhenams site. They want to turn Guildford into Woking with fewer and fewer green spaces, more people, traffic and pollution.

I hope they will have the money to maintain the tall buildings, they aren’t cheap to maintain long-term.

I have noticed that a lot of newly built buildings have issues, they have been built poorly, they aren’t long lasting.

The real problem is having commercial landlords owning many properties so that there are fewer properties available to buy for families and individuals.
Mark Stamp Reply

June 22, 2022 at 5:53 pm

If we can’t build high then we’ll need to build wide which will involve more building on green spaces.

Whilst parts of Guildford, such as the view down the High Street, need to be preserved, I’m not sure what beauty there is to be adversely in the part of town where the 13-storey building will be. The nearby police station is 10 stories and not particularly beautiful.

Ultimately if the development is not worth a developer’s time, we will be left with a beautiful wasteland for 10 more years.
S Collins Reply

June 23, 2022 at 9:44 am

Maybe it’s part of the plan to turn Guildford into a city?