Latest News
See our Latest news, Scroll Down to see earlier posts sorted by Topic Areas.
Future Unclear for Guildford Borough Council? View article
The Government has published it's Devolution White Paper for England. (See link at foot of the post).
The objective of the White Paper is to devolve more powers to a series of regional Strategic Authorities which are... View article
A New Era in Planning. View article
The new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) has attracted a lot of attention with its use of the Standard Method to determine new housing numbers required by Local Planning Authorities (LPAs). In parallel there are a number of other initi... View article
NPPF In Force December 2024 View article
Aftert the period of consultation the Government has published a final National Policy Planning Framework (NPPF) plus its summary of the consultation and it its reponses. The new NPPF is likly to require Guildford to deliver 1170 dwellings per ... View article
Are changes planned for Local Government in Surrey? View article
The last government made substantial changes to local Government encouraging the formation of larger units called unitary authroities. Regional Mayors in some areas were also inmplemented. The leader of Surrey County Council proposed that Surrey woul... View article
Transport for South East Strategy View article
Transport for the South East (TfSE) have released a updated Transport Strategy for the region for public consultation. The area covered includes Hampshire, Sussex, Kent, West Berkshire, and Surrey. The members of TFSE can be seen in the image below... View article
Integrated National Transport Strategy View article
In late November the then Transport Secretary, Louise Haigh, set out her vision for a more joined up and locally-led transport system across England. She outlined her vision for a new Integrated National Transport Strategy, the first in a quart... View article
Buses in London Drive to Net Zero View article
Transport for London operate as at March 2024 operated 8,776 Buses, of which 1,397 were Electric buses, and 3,826 Hybrid buses. TFL is increasing its electric bus fleet with the aim to have an emissions-free bus network by 2030.
Latest Elect... View article
Budget October 2024 View article
The recent budget confirmed or added to the revisions being proposed by the the new government to Planning and support for Development Schemes.
Changes that are worth noting which might impact the local area include:
Planning and Infrastruct... View article
Green Paper – Industrial Strategy View article
The Green Paper is a consultation Paper seeking views with the aim to publishing a finalised Industrial Strategy, alongside Sector Plans for the growth-driving sectors, in Spring 2025, aligned with the multi-year Spending Review.
The Governement s... View article
Gosden Hill - Proposals being consulted upon. View article
This site is one of the major Strategic Sites identified in the Local Plan (LPSS) 2019 as Policy A25. The site has been owned by developer Martin Grant for several years.
Martin Grant the developer is now, prior to submitting a planning appl... View article
Architecture Lecture 2024 - Videos of Thought Provoking Event View article
The 2024 lecture with the title of 'Housing to Benefit the Environment and Public' was delivered on the 17th October by Cany Ash and Robert Sakula the two co-founding partners of Ash Sakula Architects , one of the UK’s le... View article
November - Events That May Be Of Interest. View article
The Surrey Churches Preservation Trust (SCPT) on Saturday, 16th November 2024, 10:30am at St Mary’s Church, Holmbury St Mary, is holding a public talk on the life and work of George Edmund Street. The talk, led by Richard Peats, Principal Inspe... View article
North Downs Line - The Future? View article
The current fleet of trains (Class 165/166) on the North Downs Line are getting towards of their economic life with maybe 5-10 years life left. How they are replaced will need to be decided in the not too distant future as sourcing trains eithe... View article
Society Response to the NPPF Consulation View article
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is the key document that manages how local plans are prepared. The Guildford Society has now submitted its reply to the Ministry of Housing on the proposed changes to the document. Our reply c... View article
Mount Brown and Law College Redevelopment Revisions - UPDATED 1/10/2024 View article
The proposals to redevelop the adjoining sites of Mount Browne and the Law college have both had modifications submitted recently.
We have updated our descriptions of the plans on our interactive map of Key Sites for Development in Guildford. ... View article
Standard Design for Small – Medium Stations View article
Network Rail has been working since 2018 to create a station design that is modern, efficient, sustainable and most importantly meets passenger needs..
The proposed design needs to be capable of being developed at scale, for low cost, wi... View article
Selected National & Local Planning Policies
The Guildford Society
The Guildford Society has been an active voice, speaking up for the town and its surrounding countryside and villages for over a century.
While mindful of the past, our heritage and precious environment, we look firmly to the future
We recognise that development must, and will, take place. However, we do not believe this should be at the expense of Guildford’s historic character and beauty, nor of the unspoilt countryside that surrounds it.
We want our town to be vibrant, attractive, and liveable. We support development that brings a sense of place and enhances the best aspects of our town. If such aims can be embraced, we believe Guildford has the chance to lead the way in enabling sensitive and sustainable development.
Pressures for development are increasing. Planning rules are being eased. The Society’s commitment to standing up for Guildford is needed more than ever.
Other Organisations
The Society engages with a variety of other organisations who share our interests and we share their links for information. We are also include links to Guildford Borough Council and other Government bodies and Developers of key sites. Finally we include other links of interest that are related to the borough.