New Council Depot
WEYSIDE URBAN VILLAGE
Enhancing Guildford's Community
About the new council depot
The new council depot has now been completed and handed over to Guildford Borough Council.
Built on previously developed land to the east of Slyfield Industrial Estate, the new depot will bring together several council teams in modern, purpose-built facilities, supporting the efficient delivery of services across the borough.
Teams based at the depot will include those responsible for waste collection, street cleaning, parks and green spaces. Housing services and some office-based staff will also be located here.
The new facility includes three main buildings:
- Depot building: a three-storey hub for operational teams, with offices, training rooms, meeting spaces and welfare facilities. It also provides storage, including a secure museum store, and a fully equipped vehicle workshop for heavy goods vehicles.
- Multi-storey car park: providing parking for service vehicles, staff and visitors, with electric vehicle (EV) charging points and infrastructure for future EV expansion.
- Storage building: providing secure storage for grit and salt to support winter operations, alongside general storage and specialist equipment rooms
Next steps
The next stage is to fit out the new depot and prepare the buildings for operational use. This includes installing equipment, setting up workspaces and making the final arrangements for staff and services to move into the facility.
The move will take place in phases, allowing the council to prepare the new facilities and support the continued delivery of services during the transition. Once teams have moved from the existing council depot on Woking Road, the existing site can be brought forward for its next stage of redevelopment as part of Weyside Urban Village.
A cleaner future
The new depot has been designed with energy efficiency and sustainability in mind and supports the council’s long-term strategy to become a net zero borough by 2030. A ‘fabric first’ approach was used to maximise the performance of the buildings, helping to improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and minimise ongoing maintenance costs. The completed depot also includes electric vehicle charging infrastructure, supporting the council’s transition towards a greener fleet.
Supporting Weyside Urban Village
The new depot is one of the infrastructure projects delivered as part of the wider Weyside Urban Village programme. Once council services have relocated from the existing Woking Road depot, that site can be brought forward for redevelopment as part of the next stages of the programme.