Offices Planned At White Lion Walk – Next To Move To The Friary

Published on: 23 May, 2021
Updated on: 26 May, 2021

By Hugh Coakley

The upper floors of the Guildford town centre shopping arcade White Lion Walk are to be converted into offices if owners Redevco, a retail and residential real estate investment management company are successful with their planning application.

Sources have told The Dragon that Next, the fashion clothes shop on the ground and first floor, will be moving to The Friary although this is unconfirmed.

The change also includes using one of the shop units on the ground floor, now occupied by H Samuels the jewellers, for the office entrance.

The switch to offices looks to be against the trend in the town centre where there have been several recent applications for empty retail and office space to be turned into small, often one-bedroom, flats.

• 17 to 23 Market Street, occupied by Reiss clothing, plans to convert the upper floors to nine one-bedroom flats. This is an update from the permission obtained in 2015 to have three one-bedroom and three two-bedroom flats.
• Norwich House, on the corner of North Street and Leapale Road, plans to change the first-floor yoga and pilates space and the second and third floors into eight flats
• 71 and 72 North Street, the old borough police station, more recently occupied by Laura Ashley, plans to build a rooftop extension for three flats
• 8 Tunsgate, plans a rear extension to the Love Brownies shop for a first floor flat.

Plans have been submitted for an additional floor to be added on the roof of the old Borough Police Station in North Street to allow for three flats. The building was opened in 1893 and included a passageway direct to the Guildhall when it was in use as a magistrates court.

Work on White Lion Walk, built in the 1980s, would include removing the central lift and escalators and improving the insulation to the facades onto both the High Street and North Street.

We have asked Next for comment.

The upper floors in Norwich House, North Street are planned to be converted into eight flats.

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