Building on the ‘Green Belt’ Ok for some in “Your Waverley?’

No stranger to supporting development in the Green Belt  Bramley Councillor – All- at – Seabourne – popped up again recently at a Waverley Planning Meeting to do it again!

Despite being at odds with the expert planning officers’ recommendation to refuse a house being built on the green belt (AGLV & AONB) in Hascombe – All-At-Sea – led the charge to overturn their advice.  Claiming a bit of the old flour mill wheel and a bit of wall on the site was enough to drive a coach and horses through planning rules! 

(Planning Application No WA/2021/0016).

All-At Sea` called the planning application into the committee for determination because he, and others – believed the development should be allowed. Officers had wanted to refuse it on policy grounds – under their delegated powers. They claimed it was against planning policy, was outside the settlement of Hascombe and would impact GB and AGLV/ AONB.

Cranleigh Councillor Liz Townsend didn’t believe that the remains of a flour mill wheel  (a non designated heritage asset), was sufficient grounds to develop the land, and was very concerned about setting a precedent.
“This is in the Green Belt – outside the village settlement  – and I am very concerned about allowing this.”
She argued there were no “special circumstances” at least not any that could not be used not to accept similar development elsewhere. “We are going down a very slippery slope here, this development does not stack up on planning grounds.”

Here’s where it is.

Here’s what remains

The Application was AGREED BY 11 VOTES TO 3 WITH ONE ABSTENTION. So,  All-at-Sea’s call-in was another success story. The same councillor who, a few years ago, voted to SUPPORT the building of SIX HOUSES on GREEN BELT land in Park Drive, Bramley (Planning Application Nos WA/2016/2405 & WA/2017/1169). 

It would seem this is yet another case of cronyism in high places for, together with his former Ward-mate, By-pass Byham (AKA former Councillor Maurice Byham), Councillor All-at-Sea threw a life-jacket and belt to his Tory crony, former MP for Epsom & Ewell, Archie Hamilton, (who was made a life peer, in 2005, when he became Baron Hamilton of Epsom).  Just goes to show the Tory Tossers stick together when it comes to planning matters.

At the time he declared an interest – and then waded in to support the scheme on Bramley’s Green Belt.

He went along with the applicants who said they were, “extremely passionate about renovating the Mill (that isn’t there and according to heritage records has never been mentioned) because it is “part of village history.” 

Developers wanting to build in the Green Belt: ‘Form an orderly queue!’

 

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