Relocating Guildford sewage treatment works

We’re in the second phase of public consultation on our proposals to relocate Guildford Sewage Treatment Works (STW) to an area north-east of Slyfield Industrial Estate, Guildford.

We held phase 1 of our consultation online from 24 May to 16 July 2021. All the information from this consultation can be found in our frequently asked questions.

We’ve now used all the comments and feedback, plus the input of our newly appointed contractor, BAM-Doosan, to update our plans for this second phase of engagement.

You can give feedback on our updated plans between 13 September and 15 October 2021. Please use this feedback form to update the final statement of community involvement for the planning application.

We’ll also hold three in-person drop-in sessions:

1. Thursday 30 September, Aggie Club, 5.30pm to 7pm
2. Saturday 2 October, Aggie Club, 10am to 12 noon
3. Monday 4 October, Jacobs Well Village Hall, 5.30pm to 7pm

Why we’re moving Guildford STW

Guildford STW is currently located on land allocated for the council’s Slyfield Area Regeneration Project (SARP), which will include the new Weyside Urban Village. We’ve agreed to relocate our STW so Guildford Borough Council can bring this plan to life.

The mixed-use regeneration project will include thousands of new homes, new community facilities and 6,500m² of commercial space to improve the local area. 

We’re planning to move our STW to a location that can’t be used for housing because of its previous use as a landfill site. The land is allocated for development of the new STW in both the Surrey County Council Waste Local Plan (2020) and Guildford Borough Council Local Plan (2019).

Guildford Borough Council is funding the relocation project, and we’re working closely together to ensure a smooth overlap on both our projects.

Key benefits of our new treatment works

• Guildford Borough Council will be able to build 1,500 new homes. This will help the council meet local housing needs and will form part of the new Weyside Urban Village.
• The new STW will make use of a former landfill site, which can’t be used for housing development, at the northern edge of the Slyfield Industrial Estate.
• The new STW will future-proof our wastewater treatment capacity. It has been designed with allocated space for future expansion so we can continue delivering your essential service as Guildford’s population grows.

How we’ll build our new STW

Our relocation project has three key elements:

• A new STW located to the north-east of the existing Slyfield Industrial Estate in Guildford to replace the existing Guildford STW
• New effluent and stormwater outfall pipes to the River Wey, just north of the new STW
• A new gravity transfer tunnel, running from the existing inlet pumping station to the new STW, to transfer incoming wastewater from existing sewers to the new STW

Minimising our impact

We’ll do everything we can to minimise our impact on our neighbours and the environment, both during construction and once the new site is operational. Some disruption, especially during construction, is unfortunately unavoidable for a project of this scale. However, we’ve planned appropriate mitigations, and we’ll keep you informed throughout the project.

Planning application process and works timeline

We’re expecting to submit a planning application to Surrey County Council, the waste planning authority, in late 2021.

In August 2021 we appointed a new design and build contractor, BAM-Doosan, who has created a joint venture to deliver our development.

From your consultation feedback and BAM-Doosan’s expert knowledge we’ve made some key changes to the design of our new STW.

Timeline

1. We’ll hold the second phase of consultation in September/October 2021
2. We’ll submit our planning application by the end of 2021
3. Surrey County Council will then carry out a public consultation on the application
4. If approved, construction will start in summer/autumn 2022
5. Construction complete 2025
6. Commission complete 2026
7. Existing STW decommissioned and starts being developed as part of WUV 2026

How to stay up to date

Over the coming months, we’ll update these pages with all the most recent information about the project and the progress of the planning application.

Please provide any feedback on the updated plans and information – it’ll help us finalise our application for submission later this year.

Our commitment to health and safety

The health and safety of our people and our customers is of the highest importance to us. All the work during construction and once the site’s completed and operational will be carried out in line with our zero harm, zero compromise policy. This means all employees have the support of our CEO to question and stop any work they believe isn’t being done safely.