See the 301 flats in Guildford Plaza that have transformed an old site into a modern living space with many amenities.
Guildford Plaza has 301 flats. It replaced Burymead House which was empty for years. The old Electricity Generating Board building was there before. It was torn down back in 2000.
The flats are on Portsmouth Road and Bury Street. They’ll have shared areas like a gym, co-working spots, and a coffee bar. Meeting rooms are included with laundry.
Four buildings make up the complex. They are four to six stories high. Sixty-seven apartments offer discounted rent, mostly for key public service workers. The apartments target younger renters and planning documents say they’re “strongly appealing”.
Rent starts at £1,250 monthly, utilities included. Wi-Fi and 24-hour concierge come with it. The location is central, just a quick walk to High Street. The train station is only five minutes away.
“Premium studios” give lots of space, almost 30 sq meters. All bills are covered within set rent.
Host’s “co-living” brand is Habito Co-Living. They will host events and workshops like cooking classes and cultural nights. Wellness sessions will be available for tenants.
Host said they want to open it this summer.
Originally, it was to open by May 2025 initially. This date has been delayed seemingly.
Guildford Council approved these plans in February 2022. Council papers noted the development will help meet demands for smaller rentals.
Partners Group launched this project with Host. Host deals with student housing in the UK.
CField Construction became the main contractor in October 2023. The prior business, Henry, failed earlier that year. This briefly stopped the construction of the site.
By September 2024, the team celebrated a “topping out ceremony”. The building’s structure was mostly complete then.
Coffey Architects designed the site in initial stages. Ruff Architects worked on later parts of the development. The Plaza wants an “Excellent” BREEAM rating, which measures a building’s long-term sustainability.
