Just a few days ago WW blogged on this Is Care Ashore’s planning application becoming Alfold’s well kept secret?
Well the secret’s out…
The scheme to build over 400 houses on the Springbok Estate at Sachel Court, Alfold has been refused – under the Waverley Borough Council Planning Officers’ delegated powers.
Presumably, unlike some Cranleigh planning applications we could mention – the local member Councillor Kevin Deanus did not call the planning application in – to ensure it was considered by the Joint Planning Committee thereby giving it a chance of being approved by councillors! Well done Councillor Deanus – Alfold villagers who were dead against the scheme owe you one…or two?
The Horsham based company Thakeham Homes – were all part of Cranleigh Councillor Brian Ellis’s “secret meetings” with a host of now, successful developers, and which he claims were not secret – even though nobody was aware of them. When officers wanted to refuse some applications under the same delegated powers – Councillor Ellis, promoter of Cranleigh New Town called them in!
Thakeham even knocked on Government doors in its bid to cover farmland behind Alfold’s Loxwood Road with concrete. The Seaman’s Charity gathered support from around the Country in a desperate bid to support the scheme which thy claimed could save the Charity threatening Alfold villagers with a worse outcome if they didn’t support the housing venture.
In a nutshell: It was refused on the grounds that it was unsustainable development in the countryside, isolated from amenities with inadequate local infrastructure. The development was excessive, would damage the intrinsic beauty and openness of the countryside etc…etc… Planning application WA/2015/1381
A small victory for sanity in this part of the borough besieged by developers. Thank you planning officers for seeing all the right reasons to refuse this application.
Don’t let the planning officers take all the credit. Substantial credit is due to villagers who, sensibly, did not sit back, but mounted a highly successful campaign to oppose this development. Perhaps Cranleigh people should take a leaf out of Alfold’s book, but then Alfold does have a borough councillor representing their interests, which is after all a great help!
Just grateful they saw sense on this one. The people of the village obviously spent a lot of time registering real planning objections on the Waverley site as well turning out in numbers at public meetings. We are all pleased we have a dedicated councillor fighting our corner.
Who led whom up the garden path at Springbok Estate?
Did Thakeham or Care Ashore believe the village supported the development…”As locals ourselves, we’ve got a few ideas of what would these benefits should be but it is crucial that we gather ideas and comments from all local residents”. The only people who have supported the development are those employed by Care Ashore, relations of those employed by Care Ashore and friends of those relations, plus folk on the Care Ashore mailing list in places like Glasgow, Liverpool, Portsmouth and Southampton. It is not hard to gather ideas about what local residents think, they have sent in countless objections to Waverley Council on why it should not go ahead and why it is not wanted or needed locally. If Care Ashore and Thakeham didn’t get the hint from the meetings in the Village Hall that we don’t want it then they are more thick skinned than believable.
Would Care Ashore mislead the public? “It is with regret that we confirm that our planning application to provide new fit for purpose accommodation for our current and future seafarers has been refused by Waverley Borough Council. Officers at Waverley Borough Council have refused Care Ashore and our development partners Thakeham Homes planning application for new accommodation and facilities”. Slightly less than the whole truth. If Care Ashore had been asking for permission to update the facilities then it is pretty likely that Waverley Borough Council and Alfold Village would have been happy to support them. Somebody forgot to mention the massive housing estate attached to the application in this sob story.
Now Thakeham are also not very liberal with the full truth. “Our application has received support from over 150 people, and we feel that the plans should have been considered by the council’s democratically elected Joint Planning Committee. This is a bad decision for Care Ashore, and a bad decision for the future of Alfold, which we intend to appeal”. We know from above where those supporters come from but a lot more that live in the village objected to this development. So a good decision for the village. Councillors are elected. As I am sure Thakeham are aware, the Joint Planning Committee is appointed and not elected from all councillors. Here is the good bit, Thakeham and Care Ashore thought they had this stitched up. With one of the Care Ashore trustees being a member of the Joint Planning Committee they had free realm to canvass and promote the development with her colleagues. It wouldn’t matter if it came to a vote, she would not be able to vote herself, but with less people able to vote and with all the Farnham Councillors to support the application it would be easy pickings to find one or two more.
“Waverley Borough Council’s planning officers have sensationally refused plans for new homes and over £15 million worth of investment in Alfold”. A bit of sensational and creative writing from Thakeham. The £15 million is what they were planning to spend building the Housing Estate, not donating to the village.
Your comments deserve a dedicated post, which will appear shortly. WW
Thank you.
..and we remember the comment about Taylor Wimpey at the village meeting.
Can you remind us of that comment please. WW
Emailed direct the gist of the comments.
Thank you Alfold Village. WW