POLICY A6: North Street redevelopment, Guildford

Allocation

The site is allocated for a comprehensive mixed use redevelopment with an additional (approximate):

• 45,000 sqm comparison retail floorspace
• 200 residential flats (C3) (studio, 1 and 2-bed)
• 3,000 sqm food and drink (A3) and drinking establishments (A4)
• 1 gym (D2)

A minimum of 5,500 sqm of office (B1a) floorspace will be retained.

Requirements

Design, vitality and connectivity

• Need for high quality design and materials, with particular care of bulk, heights and roofscapes
• Design to enhance and respond to the existing historic shopping core and;
• Improve connectivity with High Street and lanes, and
• Improve underused areas, and
• Improve the public realm
• Provide a varied roofscape, minimising the impact on the skyline to protect strategic views
• Mix day and night time uses to add to vitality of area
• 24 hour access to public streets and squares

Bus interchange

• Bus interchange facilities presently provided at Guildford bus station on the site are to be provided in a suitable alternative arrangement to be located either partly or wholly on or off site
• If alternative arrangement involves on-street provision of bus stops and waiting facilities within the town centre, consideration is required of interactions with other uses such as North Street market, vehicular access and parking, movement and crossings for pedestrians, and the quality, character and setting of the town centre environment

Transport

• Stopping up (removal) of Commercial Road and Woodbridge Road (between North Street and Leapale Road)

Flood risk

• Achieve flood risk betterment, appropriate mitigation and flood risk management, and have regard to the recommendations of the Level 2 SFRA
• Avoid development of high or medium vulnerability uses in flood zone 2 (medium risk) and flood zone 3 (high risk)

Assessments

Including;

• Retail impact assessment
• Environmental Impact Assessment (EiA) (likely to be required)

Opportunities

• This site offers a major opportunity to reinforce Guildford's comparison retail offer, provide town centre housing, to create new squares and streets, and to improve the appearance of North Street
• Help to reduce flood risk in the local area

Location

Guildford Town Centre

Ward

Friary and St Nicolas

Ownership

Mixed ownership. Guildford Borough Council owns the freehold, and M&G has a long leasehold over much of the site.

Area (size)

3.47 ha

Existing use

Retail (comparison), residential flats, restaurants and cafes, offices, bus station, surface car parks, basement car park and servicing, and vacant land

LAA reference

Site 205

Key considerations

• Design, vitality and connectivity
• Maintaining suitable bus interchange facilities in Guildford town centre
• Listed building at 17 North Street, Guildford
• Adjacent to Town Centre Conservation area
• Potential to include land to the east of the identified site, subject to ownership
• Flood risk