Waverley Borough Council will refit the vacant store to get it ready for a restaurant with space at the rear for social housing. Waverley Borough Council
By Chris Caulfield
local democracy reporter
Asbestos lining parts of the long-vacant former M & Co and Woolworths site in Godalming can be cleared after a windfall grant was received for the affordable housing and restaurant project.
In 2022, Waverley Borough Council bought the High Street building in the hopes of converting into social housing.
It secured planning permission to build a restaurant with homes round the back in 2023 but work has been on hold until dangerous asbestos is cleared.
The council has now received a grant of £115,000 from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities (DLUHC) that should enable that to happen.
The redevelopment of 69 High Street for housing is a “strategic priority” for the council as it looks to bring forward “decent and affordable homes”.
It will also help support a ‘’a more prosperous borough” that supports the local economy and high street. Opponents have described it as an “ego project”.
The extra money comes from The Brownfield Land Release Fund to support housing on brownfield sites.
Cllr Mark Merryweather (Lib Dem, Farnham Moor Park), portfolio holder for finance, assets and property, said: “This site was acquired in March 2022 as a mixed use development site to pursue the council’s strategy to bring forward of affordable housing, in this case in Godalming Town Centre, and to deliver a positive contribution to Godalming by preserving the integrity of the High Street.”
Work will be done over two phases starting with the redevelopment of the commercial site and work has begun on that, including planning permission for a “much improved commercial space”.
Non-structural strip out work prior to demolition has already been completed.
He added: “Because of its much more intrusive nature, destructive nature if you like, that did reveal some more asbestos on site than had been estimated previously.
“This was a known risk – which together with some known complications in that specific supply chain will cause additional cost – but I’m pleased to report that cost can be funded by a brownfield land release fund grant from DLUHC.”
This website is published by The Guildford Dragon NEWS
Contact: Martin Giles mgilesdragon@gmail.com
Log in- Posts - Add New - Powered by WordPress - Designed by Gabfire Themes
Paul Spooner
January 15, 2025 at 7:22 am
Three years on and this is being presented as a success! Unbelievable.
What originally was presented as a good investment has turned out to be a mess. I hope that progress is genuinely made now but I have little confidence.
Paul Spooner is a former Conservative leader of Guildford Borough Council and chair of the Godalming & Ash Conservative Association
David Roberts
January 16, 2025 at 3:57 pm
£115,000 from central government is not to be sniffed at for party-political reasons, as Mr Spooner does.
When Surrey gets its first directly elected mayor(s), I hope that he and his predecessor Stephen Mansbridge will stand as candidates so that we can all show what we think about the local Tories’ record in office.
Jane Austin
January 17, 2025 at 9:13 am
It will be four years from purchase minimum until the tenant is trading – now confirmed by council papers. £4.5 million has been committed by Waverley Borough Council BC already – and that is just for the retail element.
It will be years after that before the residential is delivered.
This article I am afraid is completely misleading and does not show the real picture. This was a terrible investment by the Lib Dems and continues to be a huge drain of the council’s money and resources.
Jane Austin is the Conservative leader of the opposition at Waverley Borough Council