Welcome to our consultation website on proposals for new homes on Sydenham Road, Guildford

Overview

The land adjacent to Sydenham Road and Bright Hill is being reimagined as a carefully designed residential development delivering much-needed new homes in Guildford town centre.

AMA Buchanan Investments Ltd is bringing forward proposals to transform an underused temporary car park on a brownfield site into a high-quality residential development comprising 33 new homes across three sensitively designed buildings.

The proposals have evolved through pre-application discussions with Guildford Borough Council and have been carefully shaped by the site’s steep topography, surrounding heritage assets, protected views and townscape context.

The design places a strong emphasis on responding positively to the Guildford Town Centre Conservation Area, while improving the appearance, landscaping and functionality of the site.

The proposals will also retain public parking within the wider Bright Hill car park, reopen part of the upper car park currently inaccessible to vehicles, and introduce new planting, biodiversity enhancements and communal amenity spaces throughout the development.

This is an opportunity to deliver high-quality homes on an allocated town centre site, while creating a greener and more attractive environment for neighbours, residents and visitors.

We are now seeking your feedback on our emerging proposals before submitting a planning application to Guildford Borough Council.

The Site

The site is located adjacent to Sydenham Road and Bright Hill, within walking distance of Guildford High Street and the town centre.

The site includes the former Robin Hood Public House and part of the Bright Hill car park, which currently functions as an underused temporary surface car park.

The site sits within the Guildford Town Centre Conservation Area and is close to a number of locally listed and historic buildings, including the Guildford Adult Learning Centre, Holy Trinity Church and views towards Guildford Cathedral.

The steeply sloping topography of the site has strongly influenced the design approach, requiring a carefully considered response to levels, massing and surrounding views.

The proposals seek to improve the overall appearance and environmental quality of the site, replacing large areas of hardstanding with new landscaping, planting and sustainable residential buildings.

The site forms part of Allocation A11 (Bright Hill car park) within Guildford Borough Council’s adopted Local Plan, which identifies the land as suitable for residential development.

Historic images of 125-133 Old Brompton Road

1938 Aerial Photograph (Britain from Above / Historic England)

Photograph of south side of Old Brompton Road (including the Site at Glen House) 1951 Historic England Archives

the team

AMA Buchanan Investments Ltd

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AMA Buchanan Investments Ltd is bringing forward proposals for the redevelopment of land adjacent to Sydenham Road and Bright Hill. The team is committed to delivering a carefully considered and sustainable residential development that responds positively to Guildford’s character, heritage and townscape context.

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Our Proposals

We are proposing a high-quality, sustainable redevelopment that will:

33 much-needed new homes on an allocated brownfield town centre site

Three sensitively designed residential buildings responding to Guildford’s character and heritage

New landscaping, biodiversity enhancements and communal amenity spaces

Sustainable and energy-efficient homes supported by green roofs and renewable technologies

Retention of public parking within the wider Bright Hill car park and reopening of the currently inaccessible upper car park level

Secure basement parking and substantial cycle storage to support sustainable travel and reduce the visual impact of vehicles at street level

Our proposed design, as viewed from Old Brompton Road to the East

Delivering new homes in Guildford town centre

The proposals will deliver 33 new homes on a site allocated for residential development within Guildford Borough Council’s adopted Local Plan.

Redeveloping this underused brownfield site will help contribute towards Guildford’s identified housing needs in a highly sustainable location within walking distance of shops, services and public transport connections.

The proposals also seek to improve the experience of the site for neighbours and residents through high-quality architecture, landscaping and accessible shared amenity spaces.

Our proposed design, as viewed from Old Brompton Road to the West

A design shaped by Guildford’s character and heritage

The design has been carefully developed to respond to the character of Sydenham Road and the wider Guildford Town Centre Conservation Area.

The architecture draws on the prevailing red brick character of surrounding buildings, while recessed upper floors help reduce visual prominence from street level.

The scheme has been broken into three distinct building forms to respond more sensitively to surrounding townscape views and nearby heritage assets.

The proposals have also been carefully designed to preserve important views towards Holy Trinity Church and Guildford Cathedral.

Our proposed design, as viewed from Old Brompton Road to the West

Responding to topography and protecting views

The steeply sloping nature of the site has strongly influenced the design approach.

The proposals lower the ground floor level to better relate to Sydenham Road, while the stepped building form and recessed upper levels help reduce visual impact and integrate the development more naturally into the surrounding streetscape.

The massing and arrangement of buildings have been carefully considered to respond to the site’s topography and preserve important local views.

Our proposed design, as viewed from Old Brompton Road to the West

A greener and more sustainable development

The proposals will significantly increase greenery across the site, replacing areas of hardstanding with planting, landscaped courtyards and biodiversity enhancements.

Two communal landscaped courtyards and shared amenity spaces are proposed, alongside private external amenity space for all homes.

Green roofs are proposed across all three buildings to improve biodiversity and environmental performance, while photovoltaic panels and air source heat pumps form part of the scheme’s sustainability strategy.

The development has been designed to create energy-efficient homes within a greener and more attractive environment.

Our proposed design, as viewed from Old Brompton Road to the West

Retaining parking and improving access

The proposals retain public parking within the wider Bright Hill car park while improving the functionality of the site overall.

The development has been carefully configured to allow the reopening of the currently inaccessible upper tier of the car park.

Resident parking is provided within a secure basement level, helping reduce the visual impact of vehicles at street level. One parking space per home will be provided, alongside more than 50 secure cycle parking spaces to encourage sustainable travel choices.

Vehicular access arrangements have been carefully designed to work safely and efficiently with the surrounding road network.

Attend our consultation event

We are committed to engaging openly and collaboratively with Guildford Borough Council, neighbours and stakeholders as the proposals continue to evolve.

Feedback from the local community will help inform the next stage of the design process ahead of the submission of a planning application.

Please share your feedback by completing our online survey or attending one of our upcoming consultation events.

Public Exhibition

Have your say!

Take our survey and share your feedback on the proposals.