As Alfold continues to sort out ‘Your Waverley’s lack of a five-year housing land supply – Bewley Homes is told to go back to the drawing board and come up with a half-decent development.
If the latest offering for Alfold is anything to go by – then Milford/Godalming residents need to be prepared for what’s coming their way from the same developer on The Secretts site?
http://www.landatsecretts.co.uk.
Waverley’s eastern area planners heaped insult after insult on the final scheme proposed to develop 86 homes on Sweeters Field, Alfold by Bewley Homes.
A scheme that Bramley Councillor Martin D’arcy described as:
“One of the worst layout housing schemes I have ever seen. I thought a previous Secretary of State for housing wanted to ‘build beautiful?’ Beautiful these are not, in fact, this is a crap design the developers are obviously clueless.”
Despite planning officers recommending approval of the extension to the recently completed Cala Homes Sweeters’ Copse development of 56 homes, committee members called for a deferment of a scheme by a different developer for 86 homes. Rumour has it that Cala off-loaded the land to Bewley Homes because it faced huge difficulty selling Phase 1.
Councillors asked for the scheme to be re-vamped, saying?
- Why was a receptor site for reptiles being moved? (Reptiles had already been moved once onto Phase 1 to provide the ecology for Sweeters’ Copse in perpetuity). Now, they are on the move again for Sweeters Phase2. How long can this go on!
- Why were “horrendously expensive” Calor gas tanks being proposed?
- The scheme was ~”overdevelopment~” of a rural site in a rural village.
(on the planning portal, the developer says it is cheaper and less hassle than using renewable energy!
- Why was the owner of No1 5 Chilton Close having a car park, with lighting imposed on them?
- Why was a large apartment block of flats proposed?
- Why was access to the new development through Sweeters Copse (a private road maintained by its residents?)
Councillors, including Alfold’s Kevin Deanus, were not impressed to hear officers plead the case for the need to increase Waverley’s five-year housing land supply. Which a Government Inspector ruled was only 4.1 years when he allowed another 86 homes near Alfold petrol station a couple of weeks ago!
Concreting over “Poor old Alfold” continues – unabated!
There is another lorryload of new housing on its way to ‘ little old Alfold?’
According to Cllr Deanus Alfold deserved better and so did the new owners of homes at Sweeters’ Copse.
“It is their road and is unadopted by Surrey highways which they have to pay for the upkeep and insurance through a management company”
He said he intensely disliked the apartment block design, and the scheme needed huge improvements to satisfy villagers.
Rather than throw this out, let’s defer saying they could do better?”
Ewhurst Cllr Val Henry said she believed Alfold was getting ”a very bad deal.” The layout of homes was cramped, density too great, in a village that had no gas, had flooding and sewage problems.
Cranleigh’s Cllr Liz Townsend claimed there would be ~”issues for Chilton Close homeowners, with a lit parking court bang up against their boundaries in a village with a dark skies policy.
“Is this scheme really in keeping with a rural area like Alfold, she asked?
Councillors overwhelmingly voted to defer the scheme back to the developer with one abstention.
Once again… why are Planning Officers accepting and recommending approval of 3rd rate designs? Why don’t they ask questions? Why do they not ask “are the affordables the same floor areas as the market properties?”, Why do they not say “this is not good enough?”. Are they just glorified reception staff just ticking boxes? We all deserve much better.
It is a Horrible design and far too dense – But I guess the Planning Officers only see the Numbers…and as Waverley has a Shortfall in its 5 year Housing supply then what is the Problem?????
This is for UP TO 80 Homes and by G*d they have tried to squeeze them all in, as the Inspector at the Horsham Road Appeal by the Petrol station said – You can always reduce the numbers at Reserved Matters…. Well these Developers don’t want to do they? they want to make as much money as they can and RUN – If they don’t feel like changing the Design they could always go to Appeal (again) and as seems to be the case yet again.. Inspectors do not care that Alfold has already taken over 400 Homes – Their job is to do the Government’s bidding – which is Build Build Build and if a large Proportion ends up in our little Village so be it!
The NPPF is DEVELOPER -LEAD – which ever way you look at it and Not fit for Purpose
There are Three Clumps of Affordable Housing, No LEAP as the developers seem to think they can use the Cala Homes one, which is Maintained by the Residents of Sweeters Copse and the Management Company.
There is nothing Sustainable about this development – Unless perhaps the Air-Source Heat Pumps (Indeterminate Number) are only for the Larger Market Housing and the smaller Properties get Calor Gas! – As they say far LESS HASSLE!
WW agrees with you, Alfold villagers affected by this awful development, and we wholeheartedly agree with the Bramley Councillor who called it “Crap” because it is just that! Officially, developers have now started building ghettoes.
I honestly feel like giving Up – what is the point?
We have developers jumping on Alfold as it is Open season here… We are not getting the Support we need from WBC – There has to be SOMETHING they can do – Put a NEW bally line of text in LPP2 to say – NO FURTHER DEVELOPEMENT IN ALFOLD -we have taken more than any small Village and close to some of the towns that have a allocation but haven’t pulled their damn Finger out! We are being besieged and very few councillors are doing anything about it
When people eventually look at this village they will realise that the cheaper prices compared to other villages Closer to London – come with a price – there is Nothing in the Village for Children or medical/Transport – It is just a small rural Village. Good luck Bewley – I hope you don’t sell a damn house or anyone else that is planning on building here…May your destruction of our Rural Countryside come back in the Future and Haunt you and your Children…
We doubt this will come as any consolation, but we also feel like giving up. Our small group set up The Waverley Web to inform and comment on all things Waverley and give the borough’s residents a platform to comment on issues that affect their lives. However, we have been considering our value recently? This website has no outside funding. It has no ads popping up all over the place, and we have no wealthy benefactors funding us. We listen to thousands of hours of council debates and post on them. We listen to planning appeal, after planning appeal – with the same predictable result. Inspectors mainly come to the same conclusion because the Government has provided wealthy property developers with the charter they need leaving cash-strapped local authorities impotent. It saddens us to see villages like yours in Alfold and many others in the borough having their rural characters ruined. Some are almost unrecognisable. But don’t give up fighting with passion for the village you chose to make your home. Pity there were not more people like you Denise.
But we know exactly how you feel and ask ourselves – what is the point?
OH WW – I have spent years disagreeing with you – BUT WTF am I going to do if you and your minions give up on us?
You are the only ones that have given us a place in social media – I understand you are all F***cked off – I am too – Please let us locally find a way to set up something new before you go… You lot have been a Pain in the Butt – But at least you had the B0llocks to say what others wouldn’t. You used to be too Farnham-centric – But eventually found someone that spoke for us here in Alfold – Thank You!
WW – Before you Bugger off to the Bahamas – We still need you – Please Do not leave us Yet…. I will give you my address, Phone and any other thing you need .I know you do not want to be known – But I cannot help you if you do not HELP me- please do not leave us………………..
Denise