Levitt Bernstein will lead phase one of Guildford's Better Homes Programme, covering 600 to 1,000 homes. Eleven more unsafe properties face demolition.

Guildford Borough Council has appointed the team that will draw up an improvement strategy for Westborough and Park Barn. Architecture and community engagement consultancy Levitt Bernstein will lead the first phase of the Better Homes Programme, the council announced on 28 August.

The programme covers an area of 600 to 1,000 homes across the two estates, around 60 per cent of them council owned, according to the council’s own FAQs. The rest are leasehold or privately owned.

Levitt Bernstein will work with three other firms:

  • WR-AP, architects
  • ZCD Architects
  • Kanda Consulting, engagement specialists

The council describes them as award-winning architects, landscape architects, urban designers and engagement specialists with expertise in community led estate regeneration.

Eleven more demolitions are coming

Six council-owned properties have already been demolished: two on Southway and four on Roundhill Way. The council says they were no longer structurally safe to live in. The cleared Roundhill Way site will become a temporary green community space.

A further eleven structurally unsafe properties are scheduled for demolition in the coming months, the release says. The council has not published their addresses.

Empty homes are also being brought back into use. Four previously vacant properties have been refurbished and let to local people, and work on a further six is due to finish soon.

Chart: the Westborough and Park Barn Better Homes Programme in numbers. Area covered 600 to 1,000 homes, about 60 per cent council owned. Phase 1 funding 275,000 pounds. Six properties demolished so far, eleven more scheduled. Four empty homes re-let, six more being refurbished.
The programme so far, from the council's 28 August announcement and its published FAQs. Graphic by The Guildford Post
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What the council says

Cllr Vanessa King, Deputy Leader and Lead Councillor for Economy and Place, said the consultant was chosen through a two-stage competitive procurement with residents directly involved in the assessment stages.

“We wanted to appoint a partner with the right skills and experience to work collaboratively with our communities. Tenders were assessed on quality, approach and value for money, alongside their commitment to meaningful resident engagement,” she said.

Cllr Julia McShane, Leader of the Council and Lead Councillor for Housing, said: “We know people want to see positive changes in their neighbourhood. The demolition work is the first visible step in the Better Homes Programme.”

What it means for you

No decisions have been made about the long-term future of the estates. The council says the coming months are about understanding priorities, challenges and aspirations, and that there are no confirmed plans for upgrades or redevelopment at this stage. Nobody is being asked to move.

Full Council has approved £275,000 for Phase 1, which pays for the engagement work, the improvement strategy and an outline business case. Any later phase needs a separate council decision, so watch for it at a future committee; our planning applications page explains how to track what the council submits for its own sites.

If you live in Westborough or Park Barn, you can join the Community Engagement Group that will work with the new team:

The council says it will share how residents can influence what happens to the temporary green space on Roundhill Way while longer-term plans are developed.