Letter: Is This the Ugliest Building in Guildford?

Published on: 22 May, 2025
Updated on: 22 May, 2025

The car park block at Guildford railway station.

From Roger Kendall

See: Solum Starts Station Phase for 98 New Homes and 640-space Car Park

Is the new car park block at the station the ugliest building in Guildford now?

What has happened to make the council have no care for the town any more?

How can we press for something to be done?

Editor’s response: The borough council’s Planning Committee unanimously refused the Solum planning application for the station redevelopment when proposed in 2018 but was overruled by the then Secretary of State Grant Shapps. See: Solum Starts Station Phase for 98 New Homes and 640-space Car Park. More blocks will be added to those already constructed hiding at least some of the southern elevation of the car park (see image below).

CGI view of proposed apartment blocks from the front of the station. (Credit: Solum Regeneration/ Guildford Borough Council documents)

Other articles on the Solum development can be found here.

Responses to Letter: Is This the Ugliest Building in Guildford?

H Trevor Jones Reply

May 23, 2025 at 12:21 pm

I must admit that, as I saw the station multi-storey car park appear, I too thought it a bit of an eyesore although maybe a necessity for parking cars in smaller land space and making more room for desperately needed housing.

So I’m pleased to see in the “CGI view of proposed apartment blocks” that it will eventually be hidden by these much nicer looking buildings (which is probably all that was shown when the original proposals were discussed publicly – I’ve no recollection of a picture of the car park).
Nigel Keane Reply

May 24, 2025 at 1:51 am

Yes! Solum should be ashamed of themselves. I wonder how long before it is demolished as other hideous structures around the country have been. It looks like a giant filing cabinet.
- Betty Wilkinson Reply
  
  May 28, 2025 at 6:47 pm
  
  So Nigel Keane won’t be using the car park?
  
  This part of town was in long need of a development, the alternative was ground level parking in a congested area. Hardly something to be ashamed of.
  
  Perhaps you should have been on the Planning Committee to offer your architectural insight. It’s a car park not the Eigth Wonder of the World.
  
  As for the glorious idea of only cladding the faces that will be seen; anyone with vision can see the rest of the development will cover the concrete. You wouldn’t complain to the tiler when the plasterer hasn’t finished. It’s an economic solution that should be applauded.
Rebecca Brion Reply

May 24, 2025 at 1:24 pm

A lot of the problem is money and greed. We are looking like Woking.

Hopefully the regeneration in North Street will be OK, but I’m nervous we are loosing all the historic character of Guildford.
Kit Collins Reply

May 27, 2025 at 1:31 pm

They started putting cladding on the block which was making it slightly less of an eyesore, but they seem to have given up!