Two long-standing market stalls in the heart of Guildford have been granted permission to carry on running for another five years.

Guildford Borough Council’s planning committee unanimously approved plans to allow the stalls to continue operating at Tunsgate Arch in the town centre.

This planning decision was referred to the committee because Guildford Borough Council was itself the applicant.

The two stalls have sat in the historic location since 1991, and have routinely been granted licence to continue business there by the council.

Under the plans submitted, trading hours at the Grade II-listed site would not be altered. At present, the stalls operate between 8am and 5.30pm from Monday to Saturday and between 9am and 5pm on Sundays and Bank Holidays.

While voicing support for the plans, Councillor George Potter suggested the committee should consider granting permission for longer stretches of time in the future, given long-standing support for the stalls.

He said: “I really would suggest that next time this application comes forward we look at a longer time period than every five years, as it seems a bit redundant to go through the expense of this process every five years.”

Officers noted in their report that granting permission for the stalls to continue operating would not harm any of the town’s heritage assets. 

“The stalls have been in place for a number of years and are an established feature within Tunsgate Arch and the Town Centre Conservation Area,” they wrote.

“They are not overly prominent or obtrusive, being set within the south western recess, clear of pedestrian access on both sides, and instead contribute vibrancy and add to the enjoyment of the listed building and the conservation area.”

In other planning news, a 200-home proposed development would have been rejected by councillors had it not already been sent to appeal.

The plans for Shortlands Farm, in the parish of Normandy, would see the existing buildings knocked down to make way for the new homes.

But the development’s fate is currently in the hands of the Planning Inspectorate after the applicant filed an appeal “on the grounds of non-determination”.

However, an outline application for the proposed development was considered by Guildford Borough Council’s planning committee to establish how it would have ruled.

The development, proposed by Gleeson Land, would see 200 homes – including affordable housing and plots for self-builds – set up on the site.

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Planning officers wrote in their report that they would have recommended refusal.