Work On Setts Is Completed With A Ban On Digging Them Up Until 2021

Published on: 10 Aug, 2016
Updated on: 18 Feb, 2023

Guildford High Street this evening (August 10) with work now completed on the granite setts.

Work has finished on relaying the granite setts in Guildford High Street and utility companies will be banned from digging them up until at least 2021.

In an announcement from Surrey County Council today (August 10), it adds that the only the setts can only be removed if there is an emergency, such as a gas leak.

Otherwise, the county council adds: “Any work will need to pass stringent quality checks to ensure the granite stones have been replaced properly.”

The deputy leader of Surrey County Council, Peter Martin (wearing a dark jacket); the leader of Guildford Borough Council, Paul Spooner (blue shirt); ith some of the workmen pictured on August 10 as work was completed. Picture from Surrey County Council's Surrey News website.

The deputy leader of Surrey County Council, Peter Martin (wearing a dark jacket); the leader of Guildford Borough Council, Paul Spooner (blue shirt); with workmen pictured on August 10 as the relaying of the setts was completed. Picture from Surrey County Council’s Surrey News website.

The £1 million project to repair the 115,000 setts finished today after six months of work undertaken by Merrill Construction.

Surrey County Council and Guildford Borough Council have shared the costs of the work.

In the announcement, the duputy leader of Surrey County Council, Peter Martin, said: “Not only are the iconic setts once again ready take the the strain of heavy use, they will not be dug up for at least five years unless there’s an emergency, which goes to show that while money’s tight because of growing demand for services like adult social care there’s still plenty we can do to make a big difference to people’s daily lives.”

The leader of Guildford Borough Council, Paul Spooner, added: “We are delighted that the setts are now back to their former glory.

“The works have been carried out to a very high standard and we are very pleased that our investment in this project has refreshed our historic high street.”

Click here for previous story.

Flashback to the work in progress: the final section of the High Street to have the granite setts relaid.

And here for when the work started back in February.

Responses to Work On Setts Is Completed With A Ban On Digging Them Up Until 2021

Jim Allen Reply

August 11, 2016 at 7:56 am

I trust that the council [SCC] asked the utilities if all their pipe work and cabling are good for five.

I fear that in the next six months someone will want to replace worn pipes or cables because no one asked the question before the setts were laid.
Peter Mills Reply

August 12, 2016 at 1:46 pm

It’s a pity they didn’t clean the ones that had been at the edges and had yellow lines painted on them, before they randomly re-laid them. We now have blobs of yellow paint randomly dotted around the high street.
Pete Brayne Reply

August 12, 2016 at 6:39 pm

Actually, it’s not finished. There were at least three areas cordoned off this morning with workmen still busy.

The cordoned off areas appear to be stores and plant equipment yet to be removed. All the setts have been laid. Further work to remove yellow paint from relaid setts may be continuing. Ed
Mary Bedforth Reply

August 14, 2016 at 8:11 pm

Is the rather shabby street furniture (sign posts and litter bins) going to be renovated?

Councillor Reeves (lib Dem, Friary & St Nicolas) has responded: As far as I understand, the long awaited replacement rubbish bins should be delivered soon, ready for installation around the town centre. And all the street furniture in the High Street is to be reviewed, it has been recognised for some time that there are too many signs, notices and street markings and now that we have the setts magnificently relaid, it is entirely appropriate that everything else is reviewed and reappraised.