Goodbye Cranleigh Village… Hello Cranleigh New Town.
At 5.25pm on Friday, shortly after we posted this update on the cancelled WBC Executive Meeting, came the news that all WBC councillors were advised that the Draft Spatial Strategy will go to the Community Overview & Scrutiny Committee on 16th November – to which ALL are invited. This is prior to the December Full Council Meeting.
And guess what? The same old strategy remains. Pile housing onto the green fields that are flood plains in Cranleigh. In Farnham, ignore the over-riding legal constraints (habitats) and the practical constraints of transport and flood risk and cover as many fields, some of which may be in the Green Belt, as possible with concrete.
So now you have it. The borough needs 519 homes every year, but over the whole local Plan period of 2013 – 2032, there is a shortfall of around 6,000 homes. So what will the borough get on the green fields around Cranleigh? Potentially around 1,350 new homes.
We reckon WBC will put up a very lacklustre defence against the Berkley Homes Appeal due in February, to build 425 homes on the Bonham Land, off Stocklund Square. One Waverley Web contributor said:
“Heaven knows why WBC is even bothering to turn up before an Inspector – probably to waste even more of our money. Guess the only real opposition will come from the Cranleigh Civic Society, but bearing in mind what WBC is up to, it might as well save its breath.”
In the meantime, the heavy lobbying by the Knowle Park Initiative (aided by Cranleigh Chamber of Commerce), will have paid off and we can look forward to West Cranleigh disappearing under floodwater. Crown Hall Estates will be hanging onto its coat tails and more will follow. The Guildford Road between Cranleigh and Shamley Green is next..
Then of course, Crest Nicholson will throw in another 150+ into the Horsham Road development, adding to the 149 houses it already has the go-ahead for. With work starting on Amlets Park’s 125 houses soon, there are all the Alfold applications (too many to even mention, but for starters 600). The Strategy also identifies building in all the villages: Shamley Green, Bramley, Witley and so it goes on.
Don’t forget Dunsfold Park either- up to 3,500 there with 1,800 coming soon in the application about to land on their desks, when Scottie gets his act together.
So where does that leave the rest of the Waverley Borough? 1,000 houses in Farnham… 1,000 houses in Haslemere… 500 houses in Godalming… and an additional 1,200 houses dotted around the villages. And who gets the lions share? Yup, you guessed it – Cranleigh. And who can stop them?
What a rotten society we live in – deeply undemocratic and depressing.