GVG Meeting 1st June 2012 – Have your say
Guildford Vision Group members were delighted to hear that a date is about to be set between key members of the group and Guildford Borough. This will give us the chance to put our ideas directly to the Council and persuade them of the vital importance of a long term plan to tackle Guildford’s chronic traffic and other problems, as other towns have already done.
We are working hard to get more people who live and work in Guildford to get interested and engaged. This means contacting stakeholders, getting information out more widely via the website, flyers, letters and so on. We are also committed to sending out regular updates to registered supporters.
Why not sign up, have your say, and get the forward-looking Guildford we all want!
Liz Markwell
GVG Meeting 25th May – What Guildford wants
This week, Guildford Vision Group discussed the changes Guildford needs in order to improve the current and future quality of life, and to ensure a strong economic future for the people and businesses in the town.
We need a town that works – and the first step towards that must be a long-term solution to the traffic problems.
Until Guildford town centre stops being strangled by traffic, it will be virtually impossible to achieve the other improvements people want – such as safe pedestrian and cycle routes, and pleasant green spaces.
Until everyone starts thinking of Guildford as people-centred rather than traffic-centred, any development proposals are doomed to failure or, at best, a low level of success.
Guildford needs a masterplan which puts people first.
Liz Markwell
Guildford Vision Group Meeting date: 11 May 2012
Guildford at a crossroads
The position Guildford is in right now presents both a challenge and an opportunity. There are a number of projects either on the table at the moment, or to be considered over the next few years, and two potential approaches to these projects.
One approach is to deal with each on an individual basis and with reference only to the existing infrastructure; the other is to look at all future development possibilities in the light of all the various pressing issues which need to be tackled – and take a holistic view.
The first approach is clearly short-sighted: the first stages of redevelopment undertaken in a piecemeal fashion could easily make future projects impossible to achieve.
The second approach allows for all projects to contribute to the quality of life for residents, workers and visitors and to the economic growth of Guildford as a whole in all sectors of activity – retail, University, leisure and tourism, SMEs and so on. This second approach requires a professional masterplan at its core – and depends on all authorities including Guildford Borough Council, Surrey County Council and the Highways Agency being involved.
Such a masterplan would cover the next 30 to 50 years, divided into 10 year stages. Only through addressing all the relevant issues – parking, access, tourism, a positive outcome for developers making large investments in the town – can sustainability be assured.
Liz Markwell
To view speeches and slides from the Guildford Vision Group Launch Meeting on 21st March 2012 click here
To read our blogs click here
To read other items in the news click here