St Mary's Wharf: Construction Updates (last updated 7 July)
New homes are coming to Guildford town centre, together with riverside gardens, restaurants and business space.
St Mary’s Wharf, June 2025
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The John F Hunt construction team are in the process of bringing down the former Debenhams building. This process was originally expected to end in August. However, in order to support a quicker demolition process, the John F Hunt team has now brought in larger, more efficient equipment, bringing the expected end date to these most disruptive works forwards to July.
The works continue to be monitored 24/7 by John F Hunt’s noise, dust and vibration monitoring system, and the team will continue to work within the approved parameters.
We have now:
Completed the removal of the Millbrook façade and first floor structure
Partially removed the ground floor slab and scaffold on the Millbrook elevation
Stich drilling carried out around basement piers
Cleared demolished materials from site
Installed pontoons
Installed new columns in the southwest and west basement areas
Began formwork and reinforcement for the new ground floor slab
Continued installing starter bars for the liner wall and damp proof membrane
Imported materials for ongoing ground floor construction
This week, we will:
Complete demolition of the south façade
Begin saw cutting and removal of the ground floor slab on the Millbrook elevation
Remove final scaffold sections on the south elevation
Continue installing columns and walls along the west side
Progress formwork for the next section of the ground floor slab
Pour the first section of the new ground floor slab in the southwest corner
We appreciate your patience and understanding as we carry out these essential works.
Since starting on site, in preparation for demolition, the John F Hunt team has been ensuring as little as possible goes to landfill. Whilst they cleared the empty building in preparation for this demolition stage, nearly 2,700 tonnes of waste were collected, from construction materials to cafe furniture. In total, over 98% of the waste collected was ultimately recycled or reused.
Of the 15 tonnes that were reused, this included 5 tonnes of furniture, some of which has been donated to local allotments for gardeners to enjoy.
If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact thomas.oconnell@johnfhunt.co.uk.
Thank you for your patience.
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Updates will continue to be posted on this website.
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St Mary’s Wharf will deliver new homes in Guildford town centre, together with riverside gardens, restaurants and business space.
Key features of the development include:
Opening up the River Wey by creating public spaces including a new town square and a biodiverse landscaped riverside walk, providing direct access from the High Street to the river for the first time in 50 years.
Developing two new sustainable residential buildings with retail and restaurants at ground floor, providing 183 new private and affordable homes, shops, cafés, and bars.
The buildings, designed to respect the surrounding heritage of the area, will be all-electric and net zero carbon in operation.
Repurposing brownfield land to provide new, centrally located homes, helping to alleviate pressures on the surrounding Green Belt, reinvigorate the Guildford town centre and reduce car dependency.
Enhancing local biodiversity, with 50 new trees, extensive planting and green roofs.
The development has committed to contribute more than £3m to improvements in Guildford, including support for the NHS, education, highways, open space and riverside infrastructure.
St Mary’s Wharf is also expected to create more than 415 construction jobs and up to 83 jobs within the development, as well as contributing an estimated £1.7 million a year to the local economy.
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To register your early interest in the homes we are delivering, or for any general queries about the development, you can contact us here.
If you have any questions or comments about what’s happening on site, please do not hesitate to contact thomas.oconnell@johnfhunt.co.uk.