North Street is pedestrianised between Leapale Road and Commercial Road from autumn 2026, Commercial Road is reconfigured, and bus station work starts January 2027.

The next stage of the North Street regeneration lands this autumn, and it is the one shoppers and bus users will notice. Guildford Borough Council’s own project page says work will start in autumn 2026 to pedestrianise North Street between Leapale Road and Commercial Road, and to reconfigure Commercial Road for better bus station access. Refurbishment of the bus station itself does not begin until January 2027 (Guildford Borough Council).

That January date matters, because the bus station has been widely reported as finishing this December. The council’s published milestones say the opposite: the work starts in the new year.

The council’s key milestones

Guildford Borough Council lists three dated milestones for the scheme:

  • Spring 2026: junction improvements at Leapale Road and North Street, including widening to allow two-way traffic. North Street market to be temporarily relocated.
  • Autumn 2026: work commences to reconfigure Commercial Road for better bus station access, and to pedestrianise North Street between Leapale Road and Commercial Road.
  • January 2027: refurbishment of the bus station begins.

Timeline of Guildford North Street regeneration milestones: spring 2026 Leapale Road and North Street junction works and market relocation; autumn 2026 Commercial Road reconfiguration and North Street pedestrianisation; January 2027 bus station refurbishment begins. Scheme delivers 477 homes including 47 affordable, 2.2 acres of public realm and 115 new trees

What has already been done

The same council page sets out the work completed or under way on the four-acre site bounded by North Street, Commercial Road, Leapale Road and the bus station:

  • Woodbridge Road has closed.
  • A new junction has been built at North Street and Onslow Street.
  • A new taxi rank has been built.
  • A new in-out junction has been built north of the bus station.
  • Leapale Road has been widened and resurfaced, ready to be made two-way later this year.
  • Junction works at North Street and Leapale Road have started.
  • Demolition is complete and excavation of the site has begun.
  • Two new buildings are being constructed on North Street.

The developer is St Edward, part of the Berkeley Homes group. Its own works bulletins give the fine detail: the most recent, Bulletin No. 10, covered four nights of drainage and resurfacing on Leapale Road from 27 to 31 July, worked between 8pm and 5am under a road closure, with access kept to the Leapale Road multi-storey car park and exit down to Onslow Street (North Street Regeneration, July 2026 bulletin).

The market is moving, but the days and times are not

The part of this that catches people out is the market. North Street market trades on Fridays and Saturdays from 8.30am to 5pm, and the council is clear that this does not change (Guildford Borough Council).

What changes is where some of it stands:

  • Between June and July 2026, three food stalls, Ron’s Burgers, Shaheen Kitchen and Street food Spain, moved a short walk down North Street to outside the Nando’s on the Rotunda, at the end of Friary Street.
  • Between January and May 2027, more temporary location changes will be made.

The council says the move is temporary, with the same days, times and traders, and that the market is expected to return to North Street once the works are complete.

What the scheme is actually building

The finished development is a large one for a town centre. According to the council, it will deliver:

  • 477 new homes, including 47 affordable homes
  • 2.2 acres of public realm, with a wellness garden and a new town square
  • a refurbished bus station
  • pedestrianisation of North Street between Leapale Road and Commercial Road
  • new medical centre premises
  • 115 new trees

The council also says local businesses outside the development site will remain open and trading as usual throughout construction.

What it means for you

If you drive into the middle of Guildford, the autumn is the point to change habits. Commercial Road is being reconfigured at the same time as North Street is closed to traffic, and both sit inside the gyratory that already carries diverted A3 traffic on closure weekends. Surrey County Council’s roadworks list already shows a long-running Commercial Road job running into 2027; our Guildford roadworks and travel page tracks the live entries fortnight by fortnight.

For bus users, nothing changes at the station until January 2027, when the refurbishment starts. For market shoppers, the days and hours are the same, but check where your stall is standing before you set out. If you park at Leapale Road, expect access arrangements to change during night works: the bulletins give the exact dates, and are worth a look before an evening trip (Parking in Guildford).

Anyone who wants the works notices directly can join the project mailing list by emailing info@housegroup.co.uk, which the council publishes on its own page.

Sources

More on the borough’s bigger schemes is on our Guildford planning news page, and current applications on Guildford planning applications.