So the ball is still in the air?
There was no supporter in sight when Waverley planners considered Cala Homes design and layout for its consented scheme to build 200 homes at Milford Golf Course.
It now seeks 190 homes off one access from Station Lane, Milford, on the land part of the golf course.
The eastern planning committee was unanimously against it. Not one councillor supported the scheme. It was lost even before the planners considered the layout and tenure of the homes Cala intended to build because it refused to accept the terms of a legal agreement between the owners and both Waverley &Surrey County Councils.
The developer wanted the amendment in the graph below, reducing the number of affordable rented homes by 22 properties.
Despite planning officers recommending approval and the developers agent is claiming it would provide rented homes at an unprecedented rate of 70% of the usual market rate. There was no support. The regular rate for affordable homes built in the borough is 80%. There would be no four-bedroom homes but more three-bedroom homes. However, councillors supported the view of Witley Parish Council that it did not meet the needs of its housing needs assessment contained in its Neighbourhood Plan. Residents supported neither the density nor the mix.
Cala’s agent Shaun Taylor mentioned the elephant in the room. Waverley did not have a five-year housing land supply, and allowing this development would help it defend future planning appeals.
He said the one-bedroom homes would not be apartments, but houses, which the developer had never tried or achieved before.
This development will be of rear benefit to Waverley residents for the imey delivery of market and affordable housing.
However, Gillian McCalden for Witley Parish Council argued that the change in the tenure mix would leave 22 units unavailable for rent. Homes desperately required by 1,300 families currently on Waverley’s housing waiting list.
In otherwords 88 people could be in rented accommodation but now won’t be.”
Here’s a clip of what she had to say:
But it was the advice given by Kathy Smyth that clinched it for the residents and councillors alike. You will see that she is not visible for most of the clip. Yet another poorly managed webcast.
The proposed variations to the legal agreement were unanimously refused, so the committee decided to defer the reserved matters on appearance, landscaping and scale, of the development of 190 homes for further negotiation.
Well this is what developers do isn’t it? Come up with one thing then try and amend the S106 Legal Agreement when markets change to look after their profits. the Threat of the lack of a 5 year Housing plan is always going to be their big stick as it will be for all of those going to Appeal at the moment
Don’t know about you – But I have been trying to get onto the Planning portal since this morning and no joy at all it just buffers away. I left it running took the dog for a walk and returned 1.5hrs later and ….still Bufferring ….either they are uploading a mass of Documents or the system is down!
Bit tricky if you are trying to find Info on an Appeal that you are only given 28 days to get your case in
Here at the Waverley Web, we are heartily sick of being unable to access the planning portal – What the hell is going on at Waverley Towers? Get a grip! How can the press or anyone inform the public of what is going on if we cannot access the planning site?
We too have tried to get information on certain appeals. The whole thing should be halted by Inspectors until the public are given enough time to comment. Or is this a clever ruse to stop everyone commenting?
Well done Mrs Smythe. Why is it our Waverley Planning Officers are so inept that it is left to residents to properly brief our Councillors? Officers are failing their Councils and us. It is their job to inform and advise – they can’t even do that. We might as well just ask the developers to write the Officer’s reports.
Yes, what a competent young woman Kathy Smythe is – perhaps someone at Waverley Towers should consider giving her a plumply salaried job in the planning department?
The really worrying aspect was that because this was an application to vary a s106 the Parish were not notified. Had it not been for the Chair of Witley PC planning committee stumbling over the application by a complete accident it would have gone through as a delegated decision i.e. left to officers. By the time it was spotted the officers had already said they were minded to approve. The applicant was so confident it was in the bag the Reserved Matters application was based on the revised tenure split. So the first thing that had to be done was run a campaign to get sufficient objections to justify it being called in to Committee. That really shouldn’t have been necessary. It was a slam dunk for Committee as far as I was concerned. While nothing in planning is certain, I was thought that if we could get it in front of Councillors and they had the facts before them they would reject this and so it proved and the unanimous rejection was really heart warming.
Could I take this opportunity to suggest to the Executive – we know some of them read WW – that as a matter of policy they should direct that in future any changes to the tenure split should be referred to the appropriate Planning Committee?
Kathy – Well done – We are all having these issues – you are NOT ALONE – thank goodness it was spotted – But it simply isn’t good enough. It is one thing to be told by WBC Planners that the only way they can monitor contraventions of Conditions is by the Public Informing them as they do not have he resources to do this – But another to allow stuff like this to slip through – I am happy to inform Planners of breaches – But I can tell you it is Bally hard work – having spent ages with the Wildwood Application and nothing happened until a large proportion of the site was TRASHED! it can’t be made “Good” and it will take years to recover – I told them Months before of the issues on this site – But it took months for a Stop Order to be issued.. It just makes you lose the will to live… But not Quite!
Well done you – You are not alone
Best
Denise
I am not in a Waverley but following as have issues with same agents of owners causing damage to neighbouring and jointly owned hedging /happy to share information .
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