Native Land taps Bennett Construction for £132m Guildford scheme

Native Land has confirmed £132m in funding for St Mary's Wharf and appointed Bennett Construction to deliver the main phase of the 180-home Guildford development.

Bennett takes over management of the 1.7-acre site on the bank of the River Wey immediately. Preparatory work starts now. The main phase of construction begins in the coming weeks.

The developer secured planning consent in 2022. Since then, Native Land has invested substantially in the town-centre site, completing demolition, basement and ground floor infrastructure, and flood protection works.

What does St Mary's Wharf deliver?

Squire & Partners designed the architecture. Gillespies is the landscape architect. The scheme reuses one of Guildford town centre's most prominent brownfield sites (previously developed land) with 180 homes across two buildings.

The project includes:

• An acre of new public gardens
• A riverside walkway
• Dining and retail space
• Homes across tenures, including integrated affordable housing

Robert Harris, Development Director at Native Land, said: "St Mary's Wharf is a rare riverside development in an exceptional town centre. It will deliver sustainable, high-quality homes across tenures, including integrated affordable housing, and outstanding public realm for Guildford."

He added: "We are excited to now start the principal phase of construction work at St Mary's Wharf with Bennett Construction, delivering significant regeneration benefits to Guildford Town Centre."

Why Bennett won the job

Mark Keyes, Managing Director at Bennett Construction, said: "This appointment reflects Bennett Construction's strong track record in delivering high-quality, complex residential developments."

Keyes added: "We look forward to working collaboratively with Native Land and the wider project team to bring their vision for St Mary's Wharf to life, delivering an exceptional development with quality, safety and programme performance at the heart of our approach."

What does this change for Guildford buyers?

The timeline is now fixed. The sales launch is planned for spring 2027, with completion anticipated before the end of 2028. Buyers and renters can expect the first releases roughly two years from now, on a site that sat dormant since planning consent in 2022.

The contract signals a vote of confidence in Guildford's residential pipeline — a £132m commitment on a riverside brownfield plot at the centre of a Surrey market town, with construction moving within weeks rather than quarters.