‘Land South of Alfold Garden Centre, Horsham Rd, Alfold Crossways, Alfold’ Appeal decision.
COMING TO ALFOLD SOON ANOTHER 86 HOMES AND BUILDERS PORTALOOS TO LINE THE POCKETS OF LOCAL LANDOWNER ‘THE COVEY FAMILY.’
Government Inspector Peter Mark Sturgess followed in the footsteps of all his Inspector mates this week by overturning Waverley Planners’ refusal to build 86 new homes on agricultural land in the beleaguered little village of Alfold.
Another building site to join Sweeters Copse; Loxwood Road; Wyevale Garden Centre; Brockhurst; and the list just goes on and on ad nauseam in the village Waverley councillors dubbed “poor old Alfold.”
This latest decision will join others to impose approximately 439 new dwellings on the village. The Inspector recognised this was significantly above the 125 dwellings identified in Alfold’s housing allocation and more than the limited development Waverley’s Local Plan envisaged.
So that’s alright then Mr Sturgess – doubling the size of a village with no school, no decent bus service, shops or sewage and water supply is fine?
You can read his decision for yourself here – because even the Waverley Web is becoming sick and tired of posting this information. But hasn’t Alfold Parish Council something to answer for? It contributed to years of opposition at Dunsfold aerodrome and delaying the development of the largest brownfield site in the borough.
You can read our post about the next garden village currently being developed close to Alfold soon.
The Inspector discounted any delivery at Dunsfold Park, Milford Golf Course, Barons of Hindhead etc from the 5- year housing land supply to settle on 4.01 years.
Councillors for Farnham and other places who strongly resisted housing allocations and planning approvals for their areas and supported the dumping of housing on the far south east of the Borough away from their wards have a lot to be blamed for but I doubt that they feel any compassion for the Alfold area.
Perhaps all those objectors in Haslemere – with schools, a station, a community hospital and close to the A3 should take a trip out of their comfort zone and visit Alfold?
The situation in Alfold is clearly a mess. Will another judicial review follow? If WBC want to review Loxwood Road then presumably they will want to do this one too (unless the Loxwood Road JR is defeated in the meantime).
It’s becoming a total shambles and an expensive one at that. The 5 year supply is going down not up!
The issue in Haslemere is of course the constrained nature of sites. I note that the Inspector discounted Barons and the Old Grove from his 5 year supply. Those two sites alone account for 10% of Haslemere’s remaining allocation and neither look very deliverable at the moment. I think it’s unlikely that Haslemere will see the 990 sites designated for it in the plan period at the current rate.
To compound the issues in Haslemere, Surrey Highways has just (unsurprisingly) recommended refusal for the Royal School’s plans on Farnham Lane. Which sets back development on their other Hindhead site by a few months at a very minimum, probably significantly longer.
I know everyone wants to blame the Tories but the decision to delay LPP2 to exclude Red Court is proving more bonkers every day. As it stands Red Court has been approved. The Royal School site looks undeliverable. The Council have conceded Barons won’t happen in the next 5 years. The Grove is subject to an objection by Natural England that doesn’t seem resolvable for now. That means 168 of the 316 sites in Haslemere in the delayed LPP2 look quite problematic. And that’s before we come to the key site which is slated for another 30 homes but is unlikely to deliver any. The reality is that none of these issues have anything to do with Dunsfold.
Back to the drawing board for the Council on LPP2 I suspect. Meanwhile protections in Farnham provided by the NP expire in April and it’ll be a field day for developers there.
Well WW for once I am at a loss, I feel that Alfold and other Villages in the East will continue to take a disproportionate amount of Development as the Inspectors are:
“The Planning Inspectorate is an executive agency, sponsored by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities . Planning inspectors, appointed by the Secretary of State and said ‘to stand in the shoes of the Secretary of State’… So in the pay of the Conservative Government”
This is NOT Levelling up this is a kick up the Ars* for those smaller villages with small voices and limited Voting power where development can be dumped – because the TOTAL Borough doesn’t have a 5 year housing Supply. The Inspector mentions it is only 3.9% of WBC Housing need………….DOH……… ALFOLD IS 1% OF THE WAVERLEY POPULATION as per 2011 Census.
I am mortified that the whole of WBC haven’t done more to protect us and it doesn’t matter what Colour the party is – They have all failed us. I understand that there was no Limit on the 125 min for Alfold – But as part of LPP2 when they knew what was going on in Alfold – No one thought that perhaps putting a CAP on the Village may have been a good idea ??…. Or were they just hoping to protect their own Wards?
This pathetic report from the Inspector shows they have absolutely no idea – he only “popped down for THE ONE DAY Appeal hearing” that is all we are worth and none of it recorded. Most of the text in the report is simply pasted in from Generic Reports, I hope this Inspector one day realises the impact he will have on the people that live here, not that he will give a toss when he retires on his FAT government Pension.
We all know what leaving it all to Reserved Matters means – try to reduce the numbers then as the Planning Oficer quite rightly pointed out – But it was ignored…….. The Developers may have to lose a few houses for the LAP/LEAP, Planting etc…. But they will probably still net circa 75-80 homes here then… which is most likely what they were hoping for anyway.
The Appellants were clever…….. Waverley Planners – Simply were not up to the Mark – and who can blame them when they are probably on a fraction of the salary to that of the Appellant’s speakers, we were beaten on every account as we simply didn’t have the Housing or the answers that could have made the Inspector re-think.
The Planning system is systemically CORRUPT – with large Donations to the Tories from Developers and the PM’s desire to show he is building new homes – The fact that we live in a little Village with very little for young families or our rapidly aging Population and we all know what “Affordable Homes” means.
Putin may be taking all the press at the moment and I hope he rots in Hell – But the time will come when Boris is accountable for this mess in our own country.. SHAME ON THEM ALL
I hope when they market these properties and all the other 450 odd ones here – that they mention the Travel time BY CAR.. Today it was 2hrs each way to Clapham from Alfold. Few Trains running and most tubes out,
Normally on a Good run it is 1.5hrs – and I leave home after 9am – so good luck to all the New Peeps that will move here and read the RightMove and other agents says how quick it is to get to London by Train and Car… IT ISN’T!
Look back at the Lib Dem votes on the planning committee about Alfold, Dunsfold, on Dunsfold Park, and about the Local Plan. Then you will see that it was not much the Tories fault that Alfold/Dunsfold/Cranleigh have had so many houses imposed.