Following a recent two-day public consultation, Thakeham Homes unveiled its plans to build another 350 new homes added to the 99 already under construction in Loxwood Road Alfold. The developer made some startling revelations.
Such as…
“Thakeham Homes has been in full consultation with Waverley’s planning deparrtment and housing officers concerning the change of tenure of the 99 homes currently under construction in Loxwood Road!”
Despite begging letters to Senior Planning Officers, Tom Horwood recently resigned as CEO of Waverley Borough Council; councillors, including Cllr Liz Townsend, WBC’s Portfolio Holder for Planning, none have ever admitted that (WBC) had long been involved in discussions over tenure with Housing Association Abri Homes – who Thakeham confirmed it flogged off the site for 99 social housing. lfold will now boast one of the borough’s largest social housing schemes for rent and shared ownership.
The new homes are currently advertised across Surrey and Sussex.
Thakeham Homes told the public,
“We – Thakeham Homes sold it off to a housing association due to “our cash flow problems.”
So despite the efforts of the local member Cllr Kevin Deanus – and numerous requests by Alfold Parish Council, nobody had the decency to explain why a signed legal Agreement and an Appeal decision to provide a mix of 99 private housing and affordable homes has now morphed into one giant lump of rented and shared/ownership homes?
Our question to Waverley? What confidence can any resident in the borough have in legal agreements and appeal decisions that dictate one thing and change into something other than what was said on the tin when the Inspector granted consent?
Now, villagers are asking what confidence they can have in Thakeham’s latest plans.
Hi WW
I think it is fairly obvious that we have NO CONFIDENCE. It is not so much the changing of Tenure, but the fact that no-one had the decency to let the Village or its Councillors know despite repeated requests for updates. Also that something that is Legally Binding such as s106 can be changed without any consultation.
It is all good and well having Affordable Housing – But for goodness sake put it where there ARE Local services, Public Transport and Employment opportunities and some Infrastructure, NOT in one of the smallest, least accessible Villages in the Borough. (Most WB Councillors do not even know where ALFOLD Is!)
Undoubtedly we will have to go through the Whole THAKEHAM-TAKEOVER of our Village Again as we did back in 2015-16, when their was no Local Plan or Neighborhood Plan. It makes a mockery of the whole Planning system, when these mean nothing because WBC does not have a 5 Year Land Supply of Housing.
Cranleigh which took proportionately FAR more Housing than the Towns of Farnham, Godalming and Haslemere – who have spent years Protecting their GREENBELT, whilst the GREENFIELDS in the East of the Borough have been bulldozed.
After the Thakeham Consultations for the Additional 350 odd (I use that word loosely!) You could fill in a Feedback (LARGE A3) form in the Little Church Hall or take it home and Freepost it! If however you wanted to complete one ONLINE that option did not work and all you could do was Download the Form, Print it IF YOU HAVE A PRINTER….Get your Magnifying Glass out to read and complete it, then Post it. Don’t these guys have the Tech for an On-line Submission? or would that have made it too easy for us? I can assure you my “kids” struggled with this.
The questions were so Binary and Leading, they had obviously scanned through the ANP picked a few morsels out from that… Totally unaware that we already had or will have:
CIL funding for a large Outdoor Gym by the Village Hall – Agreed in April 2024
A Community Work Hub being offset by the Vistry Development on the Horsham Road to somewhere In the Village
Biodiversity Net Gain Offsetting from Vistry proposed to be within our Village (we shall see)
Every Developer is having to contribute to the Imaginary Demand Responsive Bus Services.
A BUILDING that “could” be a A TEENY-TINY Pre-school, Medical centre or any other imaginary thing, but obviously that would require Third Party Support from SCC, CCQ etc….
The Problems we have here in the Village with Water/Sewage etc will have to be sorted by Thames Water as it is Their Responsibility and Not Thakehams – Who will be Pumping their ECONOMY-7 Sewage during Off-Peak times!
Their Plan is for the Main Access/Egress to be from the site onto the (SMALL) Dunsfold Road then onto the Crossways – Almost Opposite the New Access for the 30 odd Houses being built out by Brockhurst Farm on Dunsfold Road.
You simply could not make this whole shambolic mess up! Even The Alfold Barn has put in Planning to convert it into 4 Flats, Despite recently re-gaining their Licence to trade again as a Restaurant. It is just a Free-For-ALL