Cafe Life in Guildford

4.31.24pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 26th May 2006

Guildford town centre could become an area of pavement cafés and restaurants, attracting people to high quality shops and a relaxing pedestrian street environment. That was the vision laid before the Borough Council's Environment Scrutiny Committee on Monday evening, by Cllr Merilyn Spier (Lib Dem, Merrow). Following Cllr Spier's proposal, the Council's planning policy officers have redrawn the 'shopping map' of the town centre so that the vision could become a reality.

Cllr Spier, the Liberal Democrat Planning Spokesperson, was commenting on the draft 'Town Centre Area Action Plan' which is due out to go out for public consultation. Proposed planning policies TCG2 and TCG3 set out the primary and secondary shopping areas in the town, and Cllr Spier was concerned that the right areas should be designated 'secondary shopping frontages' where limited change of use from retail to cafés and restaurants would be permitted.

Cllr Spier said "It is quite right that our cobbled High Street should be preserved as a primary shopping area with strong planning protection being given to retail outlets and with the lanes between the High Street and North Street being allowed more flexibility. In my view, North Street itself, now proposed for retail only, should be permitted to have more café and restaurant uses once it becomes pedestrianised. Our High Street and the new Friary will offer a high quality shopping environment, and it would be good to encourage café life to add to Guildford's attractions."

The committee also agreed to recommend including policy amendments to promote linked CHP for district heating in the town centre (proposed by Cllr Liz Hogger, Lib Dem Environment spokesperson) and to additions to the proposed character areas to protect the historic 'Quarry Street backs', suggested by Cllr Gordon Bridger (Lib Dem, Holy Trinity). Cllr Rupert Sheard (Lib Dem, Friary and St Nicolas) gained assurances that local communities would be involved in developing plans for their area.

If agreed by the Council's Executive, the draft Town Centre Plan will go to public consultation from 19 June to 31 July.