Letter: Debenhams Proposal Would Be a Missed Opportunity

Published on: 11 Aug, 2021
Updated on: 11 Aug, 2021

An impression of how the proposed Debenhams replacement would look from the entrance to Friary Street.

From: Anna-Marie Davis

In response to: Nine Storeys Proposed for Debenhams Replacement ‘St Mary’s Wharf’

Only in Guildford could we be given the opportunity to get rid of our largest eyesore and choose to replace it with two, larger eyesores. In less than a decade these two buildings will bring as much to the Guildford skyline as Mount Court and Bishops Court.

Are these architects blind, or merely greedy? Yes, we need more affordable housing in the town centre, both for rental and for ownership, to protect our green countryside. But a quick walk up the High Street shows that there will soon be plenty of empty shops and the storage space above them.

Perhaps the new Tunsgate Quarter could be reverted to flats, as it was previously, given the commercial failure of the site.

Has the impact of these buildings from St Catherine’s been considered?

Has the height of the new station opened a planning loophole where any building in Guildford is allowed to reach that height?

What a missed opportunity to beautify the town.

Responses to Letter: Debenhams Proposal Would Be a Missed Opportunity

Bibhas Neogi Reply

August 12, 2021 at 9:06 am

“Are these architects blind, or merely greedy?” asks the letter writer. What evidence has the letter writer to come to these conclusions?

Is the letter writer a qualified architect, an investment analyst or simply a layperson just giving their views based on nothing substantial?

I am a bit surprised that the moderator has allowed the posting of such a letter that verges on an accusation of incompetence and impropriety.

Editor’s response: Everyone, including lay people, are entitled to their opinion.