Policy information sourced from the Guildford Local Plan

E7: Retail and leisure uses in Guildford Town Centre

Proposals for new retail and main town centre leisure uses

In order to strengthen the liveliness and economic resilience of Guildford town centre, new retail and leisure uses located within the centre will be supported. Where no suitable sites are available within the centre, sites on the edge of the centre will be considered.

Retail and leisure proposals over 500 sq m (gross) located outside of Guildford town centre, local or district centres, and where the site is not allocated in this Plan, must be supported by a retail impact assessment.

Proposals for loss of A1 retail and other Class A uses

Within the Primary Shopping Frontage as defined on the Policies Map proposals for change of use of existing ground floor shops (Class A1) to other uses will not be permitted.

Within the Secondary Shopping Frontage defined on the Policies Map, planning permission for the change of use of ground floor shops (Class A1) to Class A3, A4 or A5 will be permitted where all the following criteria aremet:

  • the additional uses result in no more than two permitted ground floor nonretail uses adjacent to each other; and
  • the additional use results in no more than one third of this section of the defined street level frontage (as defined in Appendix 5) in permitted non-A1 Use Class; and
  • the use will not result in loss of amenity in terms of noise, disturbance, smell, litter or traffic generation; and
  • the proposed use will not be detrimental to the shopping function or character of the town centre.

Within the Primary Shopping Area, exceptionally the loss of shopping area uses (Class A) at ground floor level will be permitted, subject to the above criteria, where the proposed use is appropriate to a town centre shopping frontage.

For more information please see the Local Plan