Aims and Objectives

We are a registered charity whose volunteers aim to provide a forum for debate about the issues affecting our town and borough.

1/ We are interested in following issues that affect our town and surrounding area:

• Conserving the best of Guildford Town, Urban Area, Villages and Countryside
• Promoting high standards of planning and architecture
• Influencing the pace and type of development for the future
• Raising the public awareness on issues related to our Built Environment, Heritage and Future
• Identifying, integrating and considering matters that impact across the borough e.g. Transport Flows.

2/ Our Scope

• Geographically we concentrate on Guildford Town and Urban Area but maintain an active interest on major matters affecting the whole of the borough and beyond.
• We recognise areas in the borough have active and effective local groups whose work we don’t wish to replicate.

3/ We have some key principles:

• We recognise Guildford and environs will continue to develop and evolve to meet the needs of the population, and this needs to be managed.
• Guildford should remain a proper town, not just a commuter town for London, so we need to support economic activity, our world class educational facilities, and provide a wide range of public facilities e.g. Theatres, Entertainment Venues, Galleries, Meeting Places, Public Realm etc.
• The area needs to be ‘competitive’ with other South East areas in the Arc formed by Cambridge – Oxford – Guildford – Redhill - Ashford.
• Guildford and environs should aspire to be a leader in preserving heritage assets and surrounding countryside whilst enabling vibrant and sensitive development.
• Environment will be a key consideration including:
• Measures to encourage modal transport shift, pollution reduction, reduction in traffic congestion.
• Measures to encourage alternative energy, management/recycling of waste and flood protection.
• The town and its surroundings need to be better linked in a sustainable manner, including making public transport accessible and attractive.
• Guildford and environs should be a borough for all and thus should provide affordable accommodation for all age groups.
• We will actively seek to collaborate with other relevant groups on matters of common interest.

4/ How we Operate

• We have specialist scrutiny groups devoted to Local Strategy and Economy, Planning, Transport, and Design and Heritage.
• We are affiliated to Civic Voice, a nationwide umbrella organisation for Community Associations and Amenity Societies.
• The Guildford Society is politically neutral, and strictly independent.
• We seek to engage and collaborate with Residents Groups, charities, Local Government, Developers, Educational Organisations, and Public Bodies

5/ Public and Membership Engagement

• We will seek to build a well informed and engaged membership.
• We will on occasion run public meeting and events to raise issues and increase the profile of GSoc.
• We will work with other groups to publicise and contribute to meetings and events that support our aims and objective.
• We will on occasion arrange social events for the members

 We also:

• Contribute to Heritage Open Days
• In conjuction with the Guildford Borough Council run the Guildford Design Awards on a Bi-annual basis for outstanding new buildings or renovations
• Support projects to enhance the townscape e.g. the Bargeman sculpture
• Run occasional visits to sites and developments of relevance to Guildford.