Letter: I Support the Station Scheme

Published on: 29 Jan, 2018
Updated on: 28 Jan, 2018

From David Smith

In response to: I Have Yet To Meet a Single Soul in Guildford Who Supports This Development

I use the station every day and the current environment is completely unacceptable. Whilst this scheme doesn’t include some of the station improvements that people wanted to see, a new footbridge and lifts, for example, it does provide more space in the booking hall which is far too small for the number of people using the station.

In terms of the public realm, I think it is clear from the CGIs how this will look and what an improvement it is. Has anyone tried exiting the station on the current narrow pavements? Or tried to avoid all of the cars whilst trying to get to the Walnut Tree Close bridge by the Odeon? By saying the public realm isn’t an improvement I suspect they haven’t.

There are issues with the current scheme, the height for example, but if it’s this scheme or no scheme them I support the current approved proposal and I am not alone.

This development is the first step towards major regeneration of this area and in terms of regeneration, we are not seeing a lot of it. North Street seems to be some form of external promise from GBC and the area outside the Odeon is another area which looks set to remain as it is for decades to come.

So in short – the scheme does have a supporter here.

Responses to Letter: I Support the Station Scheme

John Perkins Reply

January 29, 2018 at 9:57 am

It was not a choice between “this scheme or no scheme”. Good alternatives have been put forward and there seems almost complete agreement that something has to be done – just not something this cheap and nasty.
Bernard Parke Reply

January 29, 2018 at 11:00 am

The majority of us use the area every day as well and we find this project totally unacceptable.

None so more than those residents who will live under the shadow of what is being called “The Great Wall of Guildford”.
David Seymour Reply

January 31, 2018 at 8:42 am

I am not disputing the station is in need of regeneration, but high level is totally wrong for Guildford. A facade in keeping with the historical architecture of Guildford would be some much better. Do we want to hear people saying, “Oh, I know Guildford, it has got that awful looking station” or “Have you seen the new station at Guildford, so in keeping with the town”?

It can be modern internally, no problem at all.