Weyside Urban Village Plans Progress – Architecture to Reflect Industrial Character

Published on: 8 Nov, 2024
Updated on: 8 Nov, 2024

View of phase three development from riverside. (Credit: Guildford Borough Council planning documents)

By Emily Dalton

local democracy reporter

Plans for a massive housing development have moved one step closer to becoming realised. The next phase of development of Weyside Urban Village has been approved.

The reserved matters application for phase three, 187 homes, of the Weyside site on the edge of Guildford, was unanimously approved by Guildford Borough Council (GBC) on Wednesday, November 6. Construction for phase two of the master plan of 1,550 homes started at the end of October.

The plans include designs for the layout and appearance of 187 homes (of which 40 per cent are affordable), car parking, green spaces and a park by the River Weyside. New homes will range from one, two and three bedroom apartments to four bedroom houses, according to the planning report.

Four-storey apartment buildings will span the length of the riverside frontage, as changes to the design code have allowed a higher development. Officers stated assessments have shown the increased height will not impact the conservation area or the heritage assets on the site.

Councillors highlighted the compactness of this phase of the project, at 90 dwellings per hectares, saying it seemed quite dense. But officers explained as a sustainable development the council is trying to make the best of the brownfield site.

The proposal also includes a corridor which prioritises pedestrian and cycle access, as well as public transport like buses. Officers emphasised the “connectedness” of the proposal to ensure communities outside the development, such as neighbouring Bellfields, are also connected to the park and the River Wey by paths.

Four storey apartment blocks in phase three Weyside Urban Village development. Image: Guildford Borough Council planning documents

Planning documents state the proposal has been designed to “reflect the industrial waterfront character of the area”, a reference to the retained Victorian Pump House which will be put to community use in future.

Officers described this phase as the heritage quarter of the development and inspired by Guildford’s waterfront industrial past”, as well as an important feature of the overall Weyside development.

Complementing the pump house’s industrial architecture, red bricks have been used as primary material for designing the new homes. The report added the development will create a “distinctive new neighbourhood” at a significant gateway to Weyside from Woking Road.

Relocating GBC’s depot will allow the phase three site to be redeveloped for homes. As part of the site still has the sewage treatment works, including the pump pass, construction will only come forward when this is relocated to the North of Slyfield Industrial estate.