Letter: Borough Council Challenged to Make the Most of Town’s Heritage

Published on: 23 Nov, 2020
Updated on: 23 Nov, 2020

From: Peta Malthouse

In response to: Guildford’s Heritage Treasures Are Not Money-makers For Asset Managers

I can only say that as a business user of Burchatts Farm Barn I was horrified when told it was no longer available.

The plan to monetise the Barn resulted from the issue being placed with a team required to critically analyse the income that could be obtained without considering how it should have been marketed.

It is a brilliant wedding or funeral wake venue as well as a great place for exhibitions and other events and business meetings. The additional value is the free parking and easy access that goes with it.

Come on GBC, we have a website and you have the talent among your staff to make your web presence more interesting (the Heritage Team has been doing fantastic stuff).

It is a medium-sized venue providing an intimate setting next to Stoke Park. How hard is it?

Responses to Letter: Borough Council Challenged to Make the Most of Town’s Heritage

William Lawrence Reply

November 24, 2020 at 1:00 pm

Guildford Borough Council is not interested in public facilities and prefers to pander to the private sector.

Rodborough Buildings should have become an arts centre, but it became a pub. Constitutional Hall was rapidly sold off so that it didn’t have any public use (again an arts centre or indoor market would have been nice).

Guildford House, however, is not fit for purpose (no disabled access etc) yet the council stubbornly refuses to relocate the gallery and Tourist Information Centre. Burchatts Farm Barn would have made a useful exhibition space amongst other potential uses. So sad.