Wants the help of its residents to…
Out-of-date before the ink was dry!
The consultation on Waverley’s Local Plan Part 1 finally started on Friday 8 September 2017. Councillors understood that it was going to start on Monday 3 September – perhaps a reflection of Waverley’s disarray on this issue. Regardless, the consultation period runs for six weeks, finishing at 5pm on Friday 20 October. No responses will be accepted after that. So, we are now half way though the consultation period. Residents of Farnham have an opportunity to voice their concerns about the main modifications to the Plan. We should point out that Waverley did not consult any town or parish councils, or any councillors, before announcing the modifications to their Local Plan. None.
We outlined the main issues that we have with the main modification last month but for the sake of clarity we repeat them again. Waverley are requiring Farnham to take an extra 450 houses of the additional 1,350 houses within the modifications. That is one third, and more than any other settlement. No additional houses are being allocated to Dunsfold aerodrome, not a single one, despite the Inspector saying that they should, and the Dunsfold team saying that they could. As a result Farnham would be taking more houses than Dunsfold, the borough’s largest brownfield site.
Waverley require that the Farnham Neighbourhood Plan be reviewed immediately to accommodate the additional houses or they will allocate the houses through their Local Plan Part 2. Subjecting such a change renders our neighbourhood plan out of date, within four weeks of it being ‘made’ as they officially call it, ie. adopted. Waverley didn’t render our plan out of date by mistake. Other borough councils would, and in fact have, respected ‘made’ neighbourhood plans. Not Waverley.
All those involved with our neighbourhood plan understood, and still understand, the need for plan-led development and for the Local Plan. Our plan was developed to ensure that all development was plan-led in Farnham and Carole Cockburn worked tirelessly with Waverley through the period of its preparation. As a result of Waverley’s actions, housing developers with recovered appeals (to be decided by the Secretary of State) have written to him asking for their proposals to be allowed.
Developers queuing up to appeal
These proposals are on greenfield sites. Developers are queuing up now to appeal.
Sites for housing development in Farnham were selected by a defined methodology with carefully prepared criteria. These were challenged by both the Examiner of our plan, and in the High Court by a consortium of developers, and were found to be both fair and robust. The immediate review of our plan and addition of new sites would question the whole process that has taken place.
Then, without even considering the impact of these additional houses, we have to contemplate years of disruption as a result of East Street / Brightwells and the redevelopment of the Woolmead site. Waverley confirmed, and the Inspector acknowledged, that Farnham’s traffic issues and resulting congestion will be exacerbated by the forthcoming developments. Asking for additional houses immediately is the wrong course of action. Our plan is front end loaded. Let our Town Council review our plan in five years’ time, as Waverley knew was always intended, and deliver any shortfall of houses in Farnham between 2027 and 2032.
We would urge you to respond to the consultation.
We are currently preparing further more detailed information which we anticipate having on this website by Monday 2 October. Alternatively look on the Farnham Town Council’s website www.farnham.gov.uk
Here is a link to Waverley’s website allowing you to see the documentation
www.waverley.gov.uk/lpp1examination
This copy was sent to the Waverley Web by members of the Farnham Society.
• Rallying call to residents over plans for more homes
The Farnham Herald, Thursday 28th September 2017
Deadline for comments closes on October 20
A RALLYING cry was made this week to Farnham residents opposed to 450 more new homes being built, to make their views known to Waverley Borough Council before it’s too late.
The six-week public consultation on modifications to Waverley’s Local Plan Part 1 closes on Friday, October 20, and is the last chance to respond to the higher housing target now proposed for Farnham.
Urging objectors to respond, Farnham Society planning chairman David Howell said: “We should point out that Waverley did not consult any town or parish councils, or any councillors, before announcing the modifications to their Local Plan.
“Waverley are requiring Farnham to take an extra 450 houses of the additional 1,350 houses within the modifications. That is one third, and more than any other settlement. No additional houses are being allocated to Dunsfold aerodrome, not a single one, despite the inspector saying that they should, and the Dunsfold team saying that they could. As a result Farnham would be taking more houses than Dunsfold, the borough’s largest brownfield site.”
Concerned about the impact the increased town target has had on Farnham neighbourhood plan, Mr Howell added: “Waverley require that the Farnham Neighbourhood Plan be reviewed immediately to accommodate the additional houses or they will allocate the houses through their Local Plan Part 2. Subjecting such a change renders our neighbourhood plan out of date, within four weeks of it being adopted.
“All those involved with our neighbourhood plan understood, and still understand, the need for plan-led development. As a result of Waverley’s actions, developers are queuing up now to appeal.
“Sites for housing development in Farnham were selected by a defined methodology with carefully prepared criteria. These were challenged by both the examiner of our plan, and in the High Court by a consortium of developers, and were found to be both fair and robust. The immediate review of our plan and addition of new sites would question the whole process that has taken place.
“Asking for additional houses immediately is the wrong course of action. Let our town council review our plan in five years’ time, as Waverley knew was always intended, and deliver any shortfall of houses in Farnham between 2027 and 2032.”
Fellow protestor Farnham Residents borough and town councillor John Ward urged objectors to respond to the consultation at last Thursday’s town council meeting.
“At the inquiry the inspector clearly pointed out that Dunsfold could take more housing,” Mr Ward said. “The owners and the developers are keen and able to produce more housing and the borough-wide consultation by Waverley supported an increased allocation there. Despite all this no more housing has been allocated to Dunsfold, but the extra demanded by the inspector has just been dumped on the main settlements – largely Farnham without any consultation.
“The suggestion that the Farnham Neighbourhood Plan, a valid people-led document that took years of work, went through a rigorous examination by an inspector, and survived a challenge in the courts by a group of determined developers, should be reviewed before it is six weeks old is tantamount to infanticide.
“This has re-opened the door for avaricious developers, supported by clever legal teams, to smash their way through what we had hoped would be a document to protect the town for many years.”
• See the websites http://www.farnham.gov.uk or http://www.farnhamsociety.org.uk for more details on the issues raised.
To respond online go to: http://www.waverley.gov.uk/lpp1examination or email comments to: mailto:planningpolicy@waverley.gov.uk.