With 99 homes recently trousered by Tory-backed Thakeham Homes – the developer is back before the ink on the appeal is dry for yet another 66 homes in Loxwood Road, Alfold.
After villagers warned a Government Inspector just, months ago that approving the appeal would be “the thin end of the wedge, Thakeham is back asking for more. Getting just a bit closer to the 450 homes it asked for in 2017.
Care Ashore and Thakeham Homes’ boat sunk by a Government Inspector!
Nobody paints a better picture of the dire straits that Alfold is up to its neck in than Denise Wordsworth – not a true local we might add – just someone who joined the community a few years ago but is passionate about the place and raises her voice.
Hi WW
Well, what do you know? – Another Potential Pile of housing coming our way from Boris’ Bestie Pals Thakeham Homes 66 Additional Homes next door to the 99 they won on Appeal in January 2022 – But what is 165 new homes when we already have almost 500 that have gone through the stupid Planning/Appeal system. I am sure you can remember how much Thakeham has donated to the Tory Government (as is today!)
You would just think that the Waverley Planning Officers would have told Thakeham that Alfold has HAD ENOUGH and not to waste their time on a Consultation with the Village on Monday 11th 4 pm – 7 pm (We were informed via the APC Clerk and flyers today, Wednesday 6th July!!) But no – I forget Waverley does NOT have a 5-year Housing Supply – Silly me!
So whilst the larger Towns kick up Sh1t about the paltry applications in their neck of the woods – We get this MESS! – I won’t go on about the number of residents or Borough Councillors in the areas outside the East of the Borough – But a bit like Boris – some people simply cannot do “THE SUMS,” Where are our Councillors or even our MP? Probably packing up their offices as I type! Here’s what is becoming a common view…
Apart from an admin email saying how much Angela Richardson would love to “visit” Alfold (several months ago) I have yet to hear anything…! But then she is too busy promoting herself.
Link to Thakeham’s Banal Feedback form
Q1. “Do you support the provision of new homes, including 30% affordable?”
Of course, people support new homes – but homes where there is some Transport Infrastructure, Medical & Education facilities and yes a Pub or a Shop (apart from one attached to a petrol station) – We all know what AFFORDABLE HOMES mean – They are Not Affordable
Q2. “Do you have any comments about the Sustainability of the Proposals ?”
Err… YES as above and Many more – This location is NOT SUSTAINABLE – unless you are a Hobbit
Q3. “Do you Support the minimum 10% biodiversity net gain elements of the Proposal”
I would – if you were not destroying Green fields in the process and anyone can make up numbers for Biodiversity Net-Gain – We all know they are not worth the paper they are written on – Get some Pokey Ecology Company with 3 Employees and they can give you any figures you want – Tell them what you want to say – and they will put it into the Report for you, for a bit of Dosh – Done & Dusted as they say in the trade!
Q4. “Do you support the principles of this Proposal?”
No I damn well don’t – There are no Principles at all – It is development BY-STEALTH – They couldn’t get the 450 odd they wanted back in 2014 – so they are putting in applications piece-meal now – hoping that apart from CIL they won’t have to provide any of the amenities that were in the Original Application – and I believe CIL is not for the Local area but has to be Allocated by Waverley – With Alfold’s Lack of a Neighbourhood Plan, we will be lucky to get a few grand to make up for these 165 New Homes. I also believe that CIL is not currently given until the site is Built out (but I could be wrong?)
Q5. “Do you have any comments on the amount of public open space proposed?” This question is on the website only– Not the Flyer
Who gives a fig for Open Space? – I am sure it is already earmarked for Phase 3 of Thakeham’s Plans!!!
And so to end my rant – I give you My Vision of what Thakeham Plans for our little village over the next 5-10 years…
I hope that some of your Webbers will join us at the Consultation next Monday and take note of the fatuous drivel that we will all hear – The hand-painted sketches of people walking their dogs in fields of butterflies (avoiding the GCNs obviously) People on bikes cycling the Waverley Cycle routes to do their weekly shop and take the kids to school. Nipping to the five nearby railway stations and enjoying the wealth of amenities referred to by the dummie witness for Thakeham at the public enquiry.
As ever in disgust, Denise Wordsworth
Hi WW
I Know We are Newbies – But it doesn’t mean we do not care about the local People and the complete lack of any facilities in the Village. You do not have to lived in the Village for a Hundred Years – I believe that New Blood in the Village is hugely welcome and good for us to move on.
Our House of 400 years – Tells us the history and have met many locally that know the history – so we are not ignorant. What really P1sses me off is the fact that I can speak to a developer that says we have a MAJOR A-road to Guildford so what is the problem??
With train stations “Just down the Road” and we have 5 TRAIN STATIONS Nearby – That is their Ignorance and that of our WBC Planning officers that have NO IDEA what we have/Do not have in the Village and how far away Cranleigh is from us. For goodness sakes I know WBC Planning is in Crisis – But if you cannot serve us as we pay for you to do – GET SOMEONE IN THAT CAN
I asked him (Thakeham) if he could compare the A3 to the A281 – He couldn’t…. One is a 3THREE LANE carriageway the other a Minor SINGLE Carriage way – But he simply did NOT get it – He called it a Major Trunk Road to Guildford/Horsham
I lose the will when we are invited to these ridiculous CONSULTATAIONS – they are NOT – they are a Tick-Box on the Developers agenda to say they have engaged with the Village, They can say that only 50 odd people came therefore – The village is NOT against it – The VILLAGE IS so Traumatised with nearly 500 New Homes for the Village they no longer feel They make any difference. They have tried to engage with a Village that sees NO HOPE and what is the Point? It makes no Damn difference – Waverley have No 5 Year Housing Supply so they will Happily let Alfold (and NOT ALFORD) take the Sh1t – And for that we should be really ANGRY!
I have to say I was looking a Lib Dems and other “Rainbows” – But at the Moment there is nobody in WBC that is doing anything to protect us – I have heard NOTHING from the WBC Leader – Why would I? It is NOT Godalming is it … Or Haselmere/Hindhead or Farnham- the Council may talk about POOR ALFOLD – But what are they actually doing about it??
Out MP Does F*ckall and is too busy protecting her own Job – Well Done Angela Richardson!
I have lost faith with all of them – Thakeham do not even own the site for the 99 new homes let alone this new batch – It is all speculative Development – and if the market says we are not a great place they will sit on the land for YEARS as other areas closer to London move out – They talk about New Housing – But why Here?? Because we have NO PROTECTION either environmentally or by our Sh1t Government – When this country runs out of Agricultural land – We may think again – But Obviously NOT YET!
This is not the Last from Thakeham as they have the OPTIONS on the WHOLE SITE – So watch this Space WW this is the beginning of the BIG 455 Homes they wanted in 2014/15 and by stealth they will get it – And the village will Snoooooooze.. Because no one at WBC Cares – Some one has to take the lack of 5 Year Housing – and why not Alfold? Better than infringing on their Greenbelt??
The Whole Planning system is Skewed and Rural Villages that DO NOT HAVE GREENBELT are F*cked
I am sorry for the Rant WW- But I honestly feel that after the last few meetings there is no one other than our Local Councillor (whose hands are tied as he is also a Surrey Councillor) -who is doing anything – And Why Would they??
Denise
Our Planning Officers are a disgrace. Developers can write whatever PR tosh they like and Planners will simply cut and paste it into their Officer’s reports. There is no due diligence. How many times have we seen lies from developers? Current ads for Amber Parkside states Cranleigh is “well-connected to Guildford and London” (you can’t get less well connected in the Borough). A similar unchecked statement from UKOG CEO about road links. We had Dunsfold Park consultants telling us lie after lie about sustainability – not a squeak of objection from Planners and Highways. We have the traffic consultants for Wings museum submitting traffic data that was 700% over-stated – yet neither planners nor Highways noticed the obvious for the 2 years it sat on their desks. The affordable homes are triumphed as being the same “high quality” as market value homes (except no planner mentions the reduced floor areas). We even had a planning officer admitting she didn’t need to visit a site because she could make an assessment “because of her experience”. The list goes on… This department is not fit for purpose, and it is costing us dear every time their inexperience is shown as they are ripped apart in an appeal.
We read your comment BBB and didn’t know quite whether to laugh or cry. Suffice to say, we cried!
How about the planning consultant working for a developer – Knowle Park Initiative – who presents a report standing as a planning officer of the council, for an extension of 36 homes for his developer mates?