New Civic approved amidst warnings of parking chaos

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 27th Jun 2007

The plans for a new Civic Hall were approved at the Borough Council's Planning Committee last night, with Liberal Democrat town-centre councillors warning that further action is needed to avoid parking chaos.

The hall will seat 1000 people, or 1500 when seats are removed to allow standing, yet just 220 car parking spaces are proposed. The car park will also be open to the public, so visitors to events at the new Civic will be competing for car parking spaces with shoppers, club-goers and hotel patrons. Planning officers agreed to Lib Dem proposals to improve access to the new Civic from the York Road car park, by requiring funding for better lighting and signage as part of the planning approval.

Cllr Sarah Di Caprio (Lib Dem, Holy Trinity) proposed approval for the plans, but warned more must be done to improve transport and parking if the new Civic is to be a success. Cllr Sarah Di Caprio said "I am disappointed with some aspects of the design, but Guildford residents want their Civic back after having to wait far too long, and this is the only scheme on offer to do that. I'm pleased the planners have agreed to my suggestion of funding to improve access to the York Road car park. But if the new hall is to be a success, the Council must now do more to avoid parking chaos. Nearby residents should not have to put up with overflow parking blocking their streets night after night."

Cllr Tony Phillips (Lib Dem, Onslow) said the Council needed to be more imaginative about providing transport to the new hall. Cllr Phillips said "The Council must be realistic about this. People will naturally prefer the convenience of using their cars to reach the Civic, especially as current bus services are abysmal in the evenings, and train services not much better. We need dedicated transport for evening events, such as buses from the park-and-ride car parks. That's outside the scope of this planning application, but we will be pushing the Council to be more imaginative in finding transport solutions for the new Civic."

Cllr Caroline Reeves (Lib Dem, Friary & St.Nicolas) welcomed the amendments that had been made to details of the plans following representations from several Lib Dem town-centre councillors. These include providing for a drop-off point for car passengers, and the provision of public toilets to replace those due to be demolished. Cllr Reeves said "Getting these details right will be the real key to success of this new Civic. There is also an opportunity here to provide funding for a level safe footway from the top storey of the

York Road car park, past Allen House grounds to the new Civic. This will help with the parking problem but also improve the environment for local residents."

Liberal Democrat Group Leader Cllr Fiona White said after the meeting "I remain concerned that these plans were brought forward before there is a proper business plan in place for the operation of the new Civic, and without full discussion with councillors on the facilities to be provided. For example, the café space provided is rather small, and we may have missed the opportunity to design for a really inviting vibrant atmosphere that would draw people to this end of the High Street even if they are not attending a Civic event. The financial viability of the whole scheme will depend on people wanting to visit the Hall, and being able to get there easily and conveniently. So good parking, good transport and attractive facilities are vital."