Weyside Urban Village receives planning approval for a new landscape-led community

News

JTP is delighted to announce that planning approval has been secured for Weyside Urban Village on behalf of Guildford Borough Council for the transformation of former inaccessible brownfield land into a vibrant riverside quarter on the River Wey.

Located to the north-east of Guildford, the project is the first out of four strategic sites in Guildford to receive approval, which will ultimately set the benchmark for further growth and development in the borough.

The approved plans will create a sustainable urban neighbourhood with up to 1,550 new homes including apartments, town houses and mews typologies to support a diverse and varied community, including a 40% affordable housing provision. The homes will be supported by an array of mixed-uses including flexible workspaces and a new village centre with potential for a public square, shop, café, nursery and community space to serve both existing and new residents.

A range of unique assets already on the site, including the Pump House will be retained and enhanced and the setting of the Lock Keeper’s Cottage preserved to maintain the existing heritage of the area. A new community facility will be provided with a high-quality permanent premises within the new mixed-use local centre which forms the heart of the new settlement. This will act as an integral part to the community ‘triangle’ comprising the existing Weyfield Primary Academy and the retained Pump House building.

With the riverside being previously inaccessible, the proposals open up both sides of the river to the community with a new green corridor called Weyside Walk along the River Wey which connects the site from the north to the south and act as the primary piece of green infrastructure, providing important habitats for wildlife and nature. A further three distinct green spaces thread through the community provide multiple connections to the riverfront from the existing Weyfield neighbourhood and also contribute to the project’s biodiversity net gain of 20%.

Cars will be minimised across the neighbourhood and active travel will be encouraged with the introduction of a Sustainable Movement Corridor featuring green pedestrian and cycling connections and bus links to Guildford Town Centre.

Recently chosen to be part of the MHCLG National Model Design Code testing programme, the JTP team has worked alongside the community to develop a collaborative Community Design Code which provides design guidance on the priorities and aspirations of the local people to develop the future vision at Weyside Urban Village.

“Weyside Urban Village presents a wonderful opportunity to create a new 20-minute neighbourhood in a highly sustainable location, regenerating this key brownfield site. We look forward to continuing to build our relationships with Guildford Borough Council and the local community to successfully implement the design vision on this project.”

– Rebecca Taylor, Partner at JTP