Filling in the Countryside

Local Plan has expired

The policies in the 2019 Local Plan Strategic Sites (LPSS), which expired as being over 5 years old in 2024, still in the main remain in force, together with Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs). A new local plan based on the current borough boundaries is to be created using new development processes described by the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Governmeent (MHCLG).  This new Local Plan will be approved at the very earliest in late 2028, current local policies can be overruled by changes in National Policies.

562  to 1170

The LPSS had a housing number of 562 units per annum added to housing stock in the Borough. The government is now requiring Guildford Borough to provide using a new ‘Standard Method’ 1170 Dwellings per annum.  

The Standard Method is simplistic and takes little account of the practicality of development e.g. large areas of Guildford Borough are in Greenbelt/Surrey Hills Natural Landscape. The method also fails to link effectively to areas of employment growth.  CPRE have produced a useful update (9/2025) concerning the potential to develop Brownfield land where they argue 1.4Million dwellings could be built.  See Report at this link

Significant Development Proposed

Guildford Borough Council (GBC) has received in the last 6 months a series of significant applications to provide new housing that totals circa 4500 dwellings (this equates to nearly 11,000 added to the population of the borough at an average 2.4 people per dwelling) .  

Developers have been encouraged to submit planning applciations as the government is desperate to meet its housing targets and the new NPPF has the concept of GreyBelt that makes it easier to develop in the GreenBelt.

Infrastructure

Most of the sites pose challenges to provide infrastructure e.g. Water, Sewage, and particularly Transport (Note: Surrey has 1.49 cars per household so circa a extra 5,500 to 6,000 cars on the roads).  Creating truly sustainable neighbourhoods, hopefully using the principles of the 20 minute neighbourhood, is going to be a challenge.  There is also much work to do to integrate into existing locations for Education and Health services and/or set up facilities on the sites. 

Over 3200 Dwellings

As the maps show below; many sites are  proposed for the Wisley to Ash Corridor along the A3 to A323 corridor. 

Sites were identified in the last LPSS 2019. Others are for sites considered for inclusion in the last LPSS but not proceeded within the final version, and others are 'windfall' sites.

The Summary information splits the major sites in Strategic Sites and othe LPSS Sites, and Windfall Sites.  The Status is:

• L - In LPSS but not Planned
• P - Planning in Progress,
• B - Being Built Out

West of Guildford

Note

• Eashing Lane is not on map it is just to Southwest of Godalming
• Tangley Lane is not on the map being just to the east of the map border

See Annotated Map - Downloads as PDF

East of Guildford

See Annotated Map - Downloads as a PDF

Our map that provides full details of significant developments in Guildford Borough can be accessed here, and entries can be opened up to provide further details. Like the rest of the website the map can be viewed on mobile devices.