FAQs

Where is the site?

The site is on Guildford Park Road, currently a council owned surface car park.

What is the site?

The site was previously the home of Guildford brickworks. In recent memory the site has been used as a car park.

Why are you redeveloping Guildford Park Road Car Park?

Building new homes in a central town location will help address the housing shortage in the Guildford area. Guided by planning policies adopted in its Local Plan, the council wants to make better use of this car park by using the land for residential development. Guildford Park Road Car Park is allocated for redevelopment in the Council’s Local Plan.

The Council is working with a development partner, Wates, to make sure that council homes are built where they are most needed.

Who is Wates?

Wates was established in 1897 and is one of the UK’s leading family-owned, construction, development and property services companies. Wates employs almost 6,000 people, working with a range of clients and partners from across the public and private sectors. Wates Group takes pride in working in partnership with local authorities, public bodies and housing associations to build high-quality, mixed tenure housing schemes; driven by the belief that everyone deserves a great place to live.

How does the partnership between Guildford Borough Council and Wates work?

The council has selected Wates as its development partner after a detailed procurement exercise. The partnership brings together the development expertise of Wates and the land owned by the council to secure the redevelopment of this site.

What are you proposing?

The project is now available for public comment on the council planning portal and will go to planning committee for a final decision.

If approved, it is expected to provide:

• Approximately 248 new homes, including 40% council homes with a mix of housing for sale, shared ownership and rental properties
• Sustainable, energy efficient homes with a focus on low energy bills for residents
• 40 new local jobs during the construction phase
• A social value programme valued at £11 million
• A design with sustainability and landscaping at its heart
• Promote sustainable methods of transport
• The creation of a ‘Living Street’

What is a ‘Living Street’?

The existing route offers an opportunity to create a ‘Living Street’ where residents can socialise and relax outside their homes. The design prioritises social spaces, giving pedestrians precedence over vehicles. Landscaped areas will be integrated into the street, with winding vehicle routes to reduce speed. The Living Street will act as the green “spine” of the development, focusing on pedestrian and cyclist experiences, ensuring a calm street that connects the public space to properties.

What are the benefits?

The emerging proposals aim to create a distinctive place that is Guildford at its core. Delivering a masterplan which creates a place that is unique to this location, a sustainable and modern place fit for the future, leaving a lasting legacy for the Guildford community and most importantly, building much needed new homes with 40% owned and managed by the council.

Will there still be some parking for rail users?

There will be no parking for rail users on the development.

Given the aim to reduce congestion in the town centre, it was agreed that Guildford Park Road was surplus to requirements. Rail users are encouraged to use other modes of transport to get to the station or use the Farnham Road car park or other car parks in the town.

What type of homes will be built?

The scheme will feature a range of home types to suit a variety of needs, including apartments, family homes, and properties suitable for individuals. 40% of these homes will be owned and managed by the council.

What type of housing is being built?

The scheme will feature a range of home types to suit a variety of needs, including apartments, family homes, and properties suitable for individuals. The private residential housing will be ‘Build to Rent’ (BTR).

BTR is a type of housing that is built to be rented out, rather than sold.

BTR offers several benefits, including high-quality, professionally managed properties with amenities, flexible lease terms, and increased housing supply, seeking to address the demand for rental housing.

How much affordable housing will be included?

Up to 100 homes (40%) will be owned and managed by the council. There is a target split of 30% shared ownership and 70% affordable rent.

Affordable housing includes homes for sale or rent and is for people whose needs are not met by the private market. Affordable housing is a key element of the government’s plan to end the housing crisis, tackle homelessness and provide aspiring homeowners with a step onto the housing ladder. More information on affordable housing can be found here.

Shared Ownership is a government scheme that offers you the chance to buy a share of a property from a housing association, a non-profit-making body that provides homes. You can buy a share between 10% and 75% of the home’s full market value, and pay rent on the rest. Usually, because you only own a part of the property, you can buy it with a smaller deposit and mortgage. More information on shared ownership can be found here. 

Who will live in the council homes provided on site?

Residents on Guildford Borough Council’s housing waiting list will be provided the opportunity to bid for these new properties in accordance with the council’s processes.

How tall will the development be and how many buildings does it include?

The development includes four pairs of interconnected apartment buildings and 15 terrace houses, ranging in height from between two to three storeys for the terraced homes and a mix of four and up to six storeys for the apartments.

How will you mitigate any environmental impacts?

Wates has consulted with the Local Planning Authority (LPA) who have confirmed that an Environmental Impact Assessment is not required on the basis that the development is not likely to give rise to significant environmental effects. The planning application will be accompanied by a suite of technical assessments that will include ecological and sustainability reports that will assess and mitigate the impact on the environment. 

We are proposing a ‘low energy development’, referring to a building designed to minimise energy consumption through features like efficient insulation, passive solar design, renewable energy sources, and optimised building layouts, resulting in significantly reduced energy bills and a lower environmental impact compared to conventional construction methods.

From the outset, we will focus on optimising building design to lower energy consumption alongside the potential installation of photovoltaics (solar (PV) panels to generate electricity) on the roofs of the development to support a greener, more sustainable future.

During construction, we are proposing to use modern construction methods, manufacturing buildings offsite. This is a significant benefit to the community in terms of speed, value, quality, risk reduction, waste reduction, sustainability and safety. It reduces the number of vehicle deliveries and on-site activities significantly, in turn reducing the level of noise and disruption. 

Overall, these actions will enable us to meet RIBA targets, with key aspects of the approach to include diverting 99% of construction waste from landfill, enabling 15% less water use per person per day alongside a reduction of 90% on CO2 emissions and embodied carbon of around 800kgco2/m2, whilst significantly reducing utility bills for residents.

How will this development contribute to the local economy?

The proposals include an extensive ‘Social Value Action Plan’, that will provide:

• 109 new local employment and skills opportunities created on the project 
• Two 2-week pre-employment programmes for local unemployed adults
• 60 people upskilled on the project
• One 12-week traineeship for 16 to 19-year-olds for a minimum of 10 local people
• 20 careers information, advice and guidance events to upskill and promote Wates and industry opportunities

How soon will the proposals be delivered?

Following the extensive consultation and development of the proposals, the planning application has now been submitted. These plans will follow the formal application process and reviewed at a future Planning Committee.

We’re hopeful construction will begin by Summer 2026 with completion forecast towards the end of 2028