Pavement outside 28-30 High Street, Guildford, GU1 3EL
Refused on 2 May 2025
Council decision: RefuseDelegated (officer decision)4 reasons for refusal
Boundary © HM Land Registry, © Ordnance Survey · details
This information is subject to Crown copyright and database rights 2026 and is reproduced with the permission of HM Land Registry. The polygons (including the associated geometry, namely x, y co-ordinates) are subject to Crown copyright and database rights 2026 Ordnance Survey AC0000851063. Conditions of use.
Proposal
Installation of one internally illuminated static panelled cabinet with 86' digital LCD screens with defibrillator.
- Received
- 20 February 2025
- Decision level
- Delegated (officer decision)
- Public comments
- 4
- Council
- Guildford Borough Council
- Ward
- Castle
- Agent
- JCDecaux UK Limited
- ReceivedReceived20 Feb
- ValidatedValidated20 Feb
- Consult.Consultation5 Apr
- TargetTarget Date2 May
- DecidedDecided2 May
Decided in 71 days (council typically 63)
About this application
This is a full planning application at Pavement outside 28-30 High Street, Guildford, GU1 3EL. Guildford has handled 2,986 applications of this type. This one was decided in 71 days, 8 days longer than Guildford's typical decision time. The site is in the Guildford Town Centre conservation area, with 20 listed buildings nearby. There are no previous applications recorded at this address. In the past year there have been 272 applications across Castle. We hold 772 applications in total for the GU1 postcode area.
85% of full applications at Guildford Borough Council were approved. Across all application types, the council typically decides in about 9 weeks (median).
Based on decided applications received in the last 3 years.See what's approved near your address
Why it was refused
- The proposed communications hub, by virtue of its significant scale and prominence, would result in unacceptable visual clutter, wholly at odds with the traditional architecture lining the High Street behind it. As such, the proposed communications hub would be detrimental to the character and quality of the public realm, in conflict with policies D1 of the Local Plan: Strategy and Sites 2015, D4 and D10 of the Local Plan: Development Management Policies 2023, and the relevant provisions of the National Planning Policy Framework, 2024.
- The proposed communications hub, by virtue of its siting, prominence, scale, and digital nature, would fail to preserve the special character and appearance of the Town Centre Conservation Area and would result in harm to the setting of grade II listed 23-37 (odds) High Street and locally listed 39 High Street. No public benefits have been identified that outweigh this harm and as such, the proposal would not be in accordance with the provisions of Sections 66 and 72 of the Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, policy D3 of the Local Plan: Strategy and Sites, D18, D19, D20, and D23 of the Local Plan: Development Management Policies, and Chapter 16 of the National Planning Policy Framework 2024.
- The proposed communications hub would impact the free flow of pedestrian movements and therefore prejudice highway safety. It would therefore result in unacceptable harm to public safety, contrary to policy D10 of the Local Plan: Development Management Policies 2023, and the National Planning Policy Framework 2024.
- The proposed development would be located in an area at medium risk of river flooding, within flood zone 3. No flood risk assessment has been submitted as part of the application and the sequential test has not been applied. As such, insufficient application has been submitted to demonstrate that the development would not increase flooding elsewhere, and that there are no suitable alternative sites to accommodate the proposed development in sequentially preferable areas at a lower risk of flooding. The proposed development would therefore not comply with policy P4 of the Local Plan: Strategy and Sites, Chapter 14 of the National Planning Policy Framework, or the Environment Agency Standing Advice.
From the council's decision notice.
Application details
- Postcode
- GU1 3EL
- Application type
- Full Application
- Scale / size
- Medium
- Parish
- Castle
Planning application dates
- Date validated
- 20 February 2025
- Consultation expiry
- 5 April 2025
- Consultation start
- 14 March 2025
- Consultation end
- 5 April 2025
- Neighbour consultation start
- 12 March 2025
- Neighbour consultation end
- 5 April 2025
- Last date for comments
- 2 May 2025
- Target decision date
- 2 May 2025
Applicant and agent
- Agent
- JCDecaux UK Limited
- Agent address
- 991 Great West Road, Brentford, Middlesex, TW8 9DN
Planning decision
- Statutory period
- 71 days
Publicity
- Last advertised
- 7 March 2025
- Advertisement expiry
- 5 April 2025
- Site notice start
- 13 March 2025
- Site notice end
- 5 April 2025
Appeal history
Additional information
- Planning Portal ID
- PP-13794378
- Documents
- 24
Site constraints
Designations that overlap or adjoin the site outline.
- Conservation area: Guildford Town Centre
- Listed building: Grade II: 1, QUARRY STREET (See details for further address information)On or next to this site · +2 more
- Flood zone 1: Low probability (rivers and sea)
Not published by this council, so not checked: Article 4 directions and tree preservation orders. Ask the council if these matter.
Also checked, none recorded (20)
flood storage areas, green belt, scheduled monuments, World Heritage Sites, World Heritage Site buffer zones, registered parks and gardens, registered battlefields, Heritage at Risk entries, nutrient neutrality catchments, national parks, National Landscapes, SSSIs, Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas, Ramsar sites, ancient woodland, national nature reserves, local nature reserves, heritage coasts and brownfield registers.
A guide only, from official open data; it is not a planning search. Flood zones cover rivers and sea, not surface water.
Data © Crown copyright and others · sources and licences
Contains public sector information from planning.data.gov.uk (MHCLG and local planning authorities), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright and database right 2026.
© Historic England 2026. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. The Historic England GIS Data contained in this material was obtained on 2026-11-03. The most publicly available up to date Historic England GIS Data can be obtained from HistoricEngland.org.uk.
© Natural England copyright. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.
© Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2026. All rights reserved. Flood Map for Planning, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.
Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.
Planning history at this site
1 other application at this property, newest first.
Source: Guildford
Track this application
Get email alerts when there is a planning decision or status change.
Get email alerts near GU1
New planning applications delivered to your inbox daily.
Around this site
Nearby applications
- 28-30 High Street, Guildford, GU1 3EL25/P/01558 · FullApproved0.0 mi
- 56 High Street, Guildford, GU1 3ES25/P/00725 · AdvertisingApproved0.0 mi
- 56 High Street, Guildford, GU1 3ES25/P/01054 · HeritageApproved0.0 mi
- 48A High Street, Guildford, GU1 3ES26/P/00352 · FullApproved0.0 mi
- Phoenix Court, Guildford, GU1 3EG26/P/00112 · OutlineApproved0.0 mi
For applicants and trades
Contractors near this project
- Stoked about StovesSolid Fuel Heating0.1 mi
- Pryer Construction (UK) LimitedGuildford0.2 mi
- Surrey County Windows LimitedGuildfordPVC Windows & DoorsConservatories0.3 mi
- Rock Solid Property Services LtdElectrician0.5 mi
What's been approved on your street?
See what the council approved and refused near this address for the project you have in mind, and the rules that apply here.
Get The Signal Report