Solum Comments On Its Appeal Success

Published on: 24 Jan, 2018
Updated on: 24 Jan, 2018

The Solum website

Solum, the Network Rail and Keir Properties development partnership, have this morning welcomed the planning appeal decision that gives them the go-ahead to proceed with their £150 million major redevelopment of Guildford Station.

Despite what appears to be almost universal condemnation of the decision locally, Alan Jones, development manager, speaking on behalf of Solum thanked, “…the hundreds of Guildford residents that registered support for the proposals.”

He said: “We are very pleased that this exciting brownfield regeneration project has been given the green light. This is a scheme that will transform the area around Guildford Station and provide a new Gateway to the town.

“Solum has been working with Guildford [Borough] Council and the community for seven years.  The scheme has undergone significant change through the planning process and we look forward now to working with the council to deliver the scheme.

“We recognise that there are several local groups that continue to object to the scheme and would also like to thank the hundreds of Guildford residents that registered support for the proposals.”

Impression of how the re-developed station entrance will look.

David Biggs, Managing Director from Network Rail Property added: “Population growth, increased urbanisation and the housing shortage has brought the need for us to be more creative in the way we develop railway land into sharp focus.

“We at Network Rail are extremely pleased that the planning approval of this fantastic scheme has been achieved. It will deliver significant benefits to station users and the local community, by releasing land for much-needed housing, attracting new businesses, creating jobs, and providing a significantly improved station.

“This development is yet another example of Network Rail partnering with the private sector to unlock land for mixed-use development, while generating funds to reinvest back into the railway.”

The press statement says that the scheme will deliver around £25m of improvements to Guildford Station, including:

• A new station building – providing a larger, double height ticket hall with a gate-line twice as wide as the current one to accommodate more passengers. Capacity to accommodate anticipated passenger growth up until 2035.
• An enhanced station environment with an attractive new station plaza offering a high-quality public realm.
• A multi-storey car park retaining the same number of station parking spaces with improved, safer pedestrian access and reduced average walk time from car to platform.
• Separate pick-up and drop-off arrangements and an improved taxi rank with shelter and canopies.
• Additional secure station bicycle storage spaces.
• A new station quarter with additional space for shops and restaurants.
• Better and safer pedestrian links and wayfinding into the rest of Guildford town centre.
• New bus replacement arrangements so that no car parking spaces are lost during periods of engineering works.

The station improvements are to be funded through the development, which will include a new residential quarter of 438 town centre apartments and commercial office space.

The statement from Solum also includes a list of “quick facts”:

• 2.2-hectare site
• £150m regeneration project
• Around £25m of station improvements
• 412 car parking spaces for rail users
• 536 cycle spaces for station users
• Over 300 new jobs
• 3,427sq m of retail provision
• 1,877sq m of new offices
• 438 new homes
• 456 cycle spaces for the new residents.

Solum is currently delivering regeneration projects at Twickenham and Walthamstow and will shortly start work at Kingswood.  It has other projects in the pipeline at Bishops Stortford and Redhill.

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