Guildford approved plans on 26 August to fill the failed WW2 shelter under Foxenden Quarry Playground with stone. Part of the playground closes during the work.

A Second World War bunker beneath Foxenden Quarry Playground will be filled with stone to stop it collapsing. Guildford Borough Council granted itself planning permission on 26 August, and the decision notice was issued the next day (application 26/P/00662).

The bunker sits under the playground off York Road, towards the west side of the site, in an area that is already cordoned off. The council’s design and access statement says the structure is now unstable: the floor has failed, cracks have appeared, and once one element fails the loads shift onto the rest, putting the whole structure at risk of collapse.

The officer’s report to the Planning Committee is blunt about why it matters. The bunker “has fallen into disrepair and presents a risk to health and safety of the playground and park users”.

What the work involves

The application documents set out the method:

  • the grass and topsoil above the bunker will be stripped back and the concrete roof lifted off
  • the 25.22 cubic metre void will be filled with recycled stone aggregate, compacted in layers until it can carry the loads
  • the roof goes back on, the topsoil is replaced and the turf relaid as before
  • secure fencing goes up around the work area, and part of the playground closes while the work is done

The top of the bunker is only half a metre below the surface. Nothing will be visible above ground once the work is finished.

The council chose stone over concrete deliberately. The fill contains no contaminants, lets water drain through as the surrounding ground does, and can be removed, so the structure is preserved if anyone wants to study it in future. The application went to the Planning Committee rather than being decided by officers because the council owns the land and made the application itself. Permission comes with the standard condition that work must start within three years.

Not the famous tunnels

This bunker is not the well-known Foxenden Deep Shelter. The council’s heritage statement is careful to separate the two. The deep tunnels lie to the south, cut into the chalk bedrock with brick-lined walls and reinforced concrete ceilings, and have an entry point in the York Road multi-storey car park. They are unaffected by this work.

The bunker being filled is a smaller, shallower structure of different construction. The council says there is no historical record of it, but because it sits so close to the surface it was probably not used as a shelter once the deep tunnels opened, and may have served as their material store. It is not a listed building.

What it means for you

The playground stays open, apart from the fenced work area, and the council says pedestrian access through the site will be maintained throughout. No dates for the work have been published yet; the permission runs to August 2029.

Work vehicles will come in from York Road or the car park slip road, with a banksman managing movements, and any damage to the grass will be made good afterwards. The site sits beside the York Road multi-storey; our parking guide covers the alternatives if it is busy. To follow the project or read the full documents, see the application on the council’s portal via our planning applications page.