Letter: The Vision Group Believes Time Is Running Out For Guildford

Published on: 4 Aug, 2016
Updated on: 4 Aug, 2016

From Bill Stokoe

director, Guildford Vision Group (GVG)

In response to Martin Giles’ Opinion piece, Guildford Gridlock? That’s Hardly News, GVG thinks Guildford is in the last chance saloon.

There is a huge infrastructure deficit in the town centre. The past three decades have seen little or no substantial improvement to the town centre, just creeping deterioration. The decades before that provided some dire development, driven by an obsession with cars and concrete.

Guildford must get its act together now. If Guildford cannot get its act together, business and people will vote with their feet. Business has already started to do that.

Which brings us to the new East-West crossing that we have been arguing for, linking York Road with Guildford Park Road over the railway and the river.

This would divert a massive amount of traffic, reunite town and riverside and facilitate pedestrian priority, with wins for safety and air pollution. We continue to fight for a proper and fair appraisal of such a link.

Development in the town centre must be co-ordinated. Solum’s rejected scheme [for re-development of the railway station] would have denied us the route for the new crossing. But then along comes Guildford Borough Council (GBC) with its plan for housing in Guildford Park Road. It’s a great place for housing (but not a mini-Solum!); however the plans make no allowance or reservation for our East-West crossing. Is that sensible?

We hope it’s not another example of where GBC finds itself in conflict as both landowner and planning authority.

Let’s have an open, public debate about how best to improve our town centre, based on the Allies & Morrison Masterplan; not any “behind closed doors” stuff or orchestrated inertia. Time is running out.