22-P-01336_North_Str...
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The Society has written a lengthy letter of objection to the plans for North Street presented St Edwards.
The site which covers part of the site outlined in Policy A5 in the current local plan is a complex triangular site which has remained dormant, being used mainly for car parking, for over two decades apart from the erection of Dominion House at the northern end.
The Society is supportive that a serious proposal by St Edwards has now been bought forward for determination, and also commends the developers on the engagement we have had on developing the proposals. Having visited several St Edwards sites we have been impressed by the quality of construction and arrangement.
The proposed development has many attractive aspects including:
As we detail in our letter of objection (See foot of this post) we do have major issues with the proposed development.
We object to the size of the development particularly the inclusion of a 14 storey high tower at the north end of the site. This is a major change to the skyline of Guildford and sets a very bad precedent for other developers. We are also concerned about the Density of Dwellings being proposed
The development does impact the Heritage assets in the town centre which it should be remembered create a unique retail centre which is a source of competitive strength versus neighbours such as Woking. Historic England have recently written requesting the scheme is not consented. The Design Panel South East who have been involved in two meetings on the scheme have added various issues that need addressing.
The plans for a revised bus station and the consequent need to revise traffic flows do look as if they will provide a bus station that has operational constraints, lacks growth potential, and has limited resilience. There could also be major impacts on the free flow of traffic in Onslow Street York Road etc.
We note the development will use a mainly Concrete construction with as a result a large quantity of embodied carbon. Not the greenest of Building Materials in a town that has declared a Climate Emergency.
The local Plan Policy covering North Street (A5) is very different from the consented scheme in terms of area and use. There is a need for the policies to be revised to show what demands the developers were addressing from the council that influenced the design. The Society also argues that there should be a proper plan for North Street developed in the form of a supplementary Panning docuemnet.
You can read our full reply to the proposals below.
North Street Plans Rejected View article
The Society continued to object to the proposed North Street plans due to a multiplicity of reasons chief of which was the overbearing Mass and Scale of the development and its impact on the character of Guildford. You can find the final letter... View article
St Marys Wharf - Second Consultation -Th... View article
Native Land, have now who have acquired the Debenhams site, have now issued an interim update on their emerging ideas. The site has been renamed as St Marys Wharf.
The update, which is available for comment until the 21st May, builds on the ... View article
Feedback on the first round of consultat... View article
St Edward the developers for the North Street Site have posted a summarised response to the first consultation on plans held in December 2020. The Developers are planning on bringing forward amended plans with it is to be hoped more detail in a... View article
North Street Update - No change for the ... View article
St Edward have released a short video giving an update on the status to the plans being developed for the North Street Site. The major item of news is that St Edward in consultation with GBC and SCC are minded to leave the Bus Station on its ex... View article
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