Letter: There Are Better Uses for Riverside Sites Than Car Parking

Published on: 14 Aug, 2018
Updated on: 14 Aug, 2018

Guildford Boat House

From S Callanan

In response to: Guildford Is More Than Just Shops

Yes, Guildford’s riverside is lovely but oddly used.

If you walk along the Wey from just before the railway bridge at Woodbridge Meadows, the first thing you come to is a council owned car park. Never mind, press on.

The riverside walk from there on towards the town is attractive. Across the river is Dapdune Wharf a National Trust property where it’s possible to have a look around, enjoy a cup of tea and buy a secondhand book. It’s very well used.

Beyond the Walnut Tree Bridge the land across the river is either council owned or run and, once again, it’s a car park and garages.

The Electric Theatre has a very pleasant river frontage and a cafe-bar which is hardly ever open. It was GBC owned and run but now the ACM leases it, I think. Whoever runs it, it’s always been sadly under-publicised as a great place to sit and have a coffee and so sadly under-used.

If you keep going under the road bridge you come to a large open area adjacent to the George Abbot pub. Don’t get too excited, it’s a council car park. While there are one or two benches by the river you’re still sitting in a car park.

Never mind, keep going across the road and along Millmead and you come to an attractive open area by the Britannia pub facing the river, the Wey Navigation, a small island, and the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre. Oh but hang on, it’s a council car park.

Onward and upward, let’s cross the river at the pedestrian bridge over the lock to the theatre and head along Millbrook out of town. There’s another great space with river front running along to the old boat house. Yes, it’s a council car park.

What do we conclude from this? Well, it appears that GBC controls some prime river-front property in Guildford but, after careful thought, has decided that it’s best used for car parking rather than as open space, small parks for example where people can picnic, stroll, play with their kids. Or large paved pedestrian areas as on the south bank of the Thames at the Festival Hall to sit, eat and drink.

There are park and ride facilities at Merrow, Artington and at under-used Onslow. If the riverside parking were to close, those coming (or not) to shop in the town could park there.

A bit of thinking outside the box, or even the car park, wouldn’t go amiss.

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