But not if the locals have anything to do with it.

They are putting up robust, detailed reasons why there should be NO MORE development in Alfold as the wolves are at its door again.

Here’s what the developer wants to build on Bridian Farm, off Loxwood Road, Alfold.

The developer intends to Carry On Regardless in Alfold.

And here’s why the locals don’t want it. An avalanche of objections to another 70 homes are pouring into Waverley Planners.

Here’s what one local said:

As an Alfold resident, I am enormously concerned about a number of factors:

Traffic – the village has an appalling bus service. It is impossible to work in Guildford or Horsham without driving. The nearest railway station is 25 minutes away.

There have been three fatalities on local roads in recent years. Pushing even more homes into an area with such appalling transportation infrastructure will only exacerbate the problem. It will also increase traffic in already congested Bramley/Shalford, so it will have a knock-on effect on a wider area.

Water – Alfold is low lying and on clay. There have been several serious problems highlighted in the national media, including Jeremy Hunt’s concerns about gardens flooding with sewage when it rains. This once tiny village can cope with more homes.

Amenities: Alfold has only a part-time post office and a relatively new cafe/deli. It has no doctors or dentists, no schools, no supermarkets, no takeaway restaurants, no mobile phone signal, and an overloaded broadband network. Adding more homes with no additional real facilities is total madness.

As we border West Sussex, many of the children now travel to school there, and also have to use the doctor’s surgery in Loxwood. I wonder if the fact that Waverley doesn’t have to meet the bill for these facilities is one of the reasons Alfold is so appealing for you to permit development? You receive the payment from the developers and the council tax from residents, but then don’t actually have to provide the services while they live here?

Rural life and dark skies: Many people moved to Alfold because of its small community and quiet lifestyle. The village has doubled in size in only a few years.

We are not being Nimbies. We have hundreds of new homes that have arrived in the last 5 years. Our local development plan, supported by the whole village, made it clear we do not welcome any more. These constant developments on our beautiful green fields are changing the nature and character of the village beyond measure. The place name

Alfold means Ân old fold, which was a clearing in the Wealden forest before it was cleared for cattle grazing. Cattle still graze in the fields where this development is proposed. Please leave these fields to the animals and reject this development.

There are so many other suitable brownfield sites for additional housing elsewhere in Waverley including the massive Dunsfold Aerodrome less than a kilometre away.

And here’s an even a more comprehensive and detailed objection. Click on this link below and see for yourself what the village dubbed by Waverley Councillors as ” Poor Old Alfold” has been forced to endure. Makes fascinating reading from an objector who goes the extra mile- and some.

Wordsworth document 9277246

The Waverley Web understand that the council’s planning officers will make the decision and not the Planning Committee!

 

The two local authorities involved in the controversial Farnham retail development on East Street are collaborating in an attempt to give it the kiss of life. 

Surrey County Council and Your Waverley, both of whom are in their final stages due to local Government Reorganisation. A change that will see both abolished is to meet and devise a business plan.

They aim to develop a plan that addresses the unpopularity of the retail units, many of which have been difficult, if not impossible, to lease. Several have been offered free for the first year, despite being advertised nationwide.

When Crest Nicholson unveiled its ambitious scheme to breathe new life into a tired corner of Farnham’s East Street at the turn of the millennium, it promised much: Modern retail outlets, a leisure hub, restaurants, a cinema and residents’ apartments. All are intended to transform it into a vibrant part of the town.

Fast forward in time – what does Farnham have? What many of its objectors predicted. Delays, planning rows, numerous changes and disappointments, as well as a financial headache for Surrey’s pension fund and Waverley’s depleted coffers. The loss of anchor tenants – recently, Coppa Club has put the final nail in the coffin. Numerous cash injections from the county bean counters have only succeeded in stemming the financial disaster, which has hit the beleaguered developer.

Tumbleweed blows around Farnham’s Brightwells Yard

In his recent newsletter, our MP, Sir Jeremy, took yet another side swipe at the administration of Waverley Borough Council. It is now a regular occurrence.

Having recently offered himself up as Patron of the Rowley’s Day Centre in Cranleigh, he has lambasted the borough council for reducing funding for the community centre for older people, even though  Waverley has funded two organisations that operate from the centre. Users that underpin its viability.

But what he didn’t tell them, probably because he doesn’t even know. Is that under the Conservative Administration, the older people’s centre was brought to its knees? Following this, it snatched back the valuable 80+ year lease held by Trustees of a publicly funded building, halved Rowley’s funding and rid itself of AGE UK Waverley. 

Rowleys was built with money raised by the residents of Cranleigh. Thanks to the Conservative Administration and its former Head Honcho, Mary Orton, Cranleigh’s building is now owned by – yes, you guess WBC and possibly soon by a Unitary Authority somewhere out there in the boondocks. 

The council was then obligated to fund the upkeep of the building. Since doing so, Waverley’s new administration has spent many hundreds of thousands of pounds on its refurbishment and repairs.

Last year,  the vast sum of £165,000 was spent on the roof and other repairs.

So, may we here at the Waverley Web respectfully suggest that before you rant in your newsletter, you give the council that you seem to be unable to work with, let alone support, a ring to acquaint yourself with the facts, not the fiction you spout.

Peddling porkies has become a daily occurrence for Sir Jed since losing his seat as a bean counter in Government. Now his daily ritual is to denigrate and belittle the borough council, whose residents he represents. What chance of world peace when even grassroots political opponents cannot work together?

Will the King of Buy to Let ever get over the fact that Waverley is now run by someone other than the Conservatives?

Here’s what he said:

As for closing, like so many charitable organisations, it will be down to Rowley’s supporters and its dedicated staff and volunteers to keep it from closing down.  As they have succeeded in doing for many years. Because, as we have experienced, Governments and now local authorities come and they go. Waverley Council’s days as a stand alone authority are now numbered.

The big mistake, a colossal mistake, Rowley’s Trustees made was ever to relinquish ownership of its cherished building and hand it to Waverley’s Conservative Administration.

In whose hands will Rowleys and all the other Waverley buildings and assets ultimately end up? That is the question.

Q

But, by how much that is the question?

The government has confirmed its intention to provide financial support to aid the reduction of Woking Borough Council’s debt ahead of the proposed reorganisation of local government in Surrey, according to a council report. 

Read the report

As part of ongoing work to explore options for creating new unitary authorities in Surrey, the government has acknowledged that the significant financial challenges facing the council cannot be managed locally in their entirety.

The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) confirmed its intention to provide an initial tranche of financial assistance to support repayment of the debt in 2026/27, before the implementation of reorganisation across Surrey. 

 The council has a core spending power of £16.9 million a year, but servicing its £2.1 billion debt was costing £1.3 million a week in interest alone.

The government says it is committed to achieving the best Value for Money for taxpayers, both locally and nationally, and the council remains committed to its financial recovery process and future asset rationalisation to support the reduction of its debt.

Notably, the government confirmed that it will continue to support both the council and any new authorities created through the reorganisation process with the rationalisation of Woking’s assets, providing further interim financial assistance and commercial expertise where necessary.

This commitment ensures that both the council and its successor authority are equipped to manage the financial challenges ahead and deliver sustainable services for residents.

Leader of Woking Borough Council, Cllr Ann-Marie Barker, said:

“We welcome the government’s statement of intent regarding future financial support. It marks an important step towards addressing our debt position as part of wider discussions on the future structure of local government in Surrey.

“Whilst there is much still to be agreed, this announcement provides a degree of certainty as we continue to work closely with government and other Surrey councils to secure a sustainable financial future for Woking and ensure the best possible outcomes for residents.

“We are doing all we can to put our house in order by setting a balanced budget and having a strategic plan to sell assets. We remain committed to delivering our Improvement and Recovery Plan to ensure that we enter any future arrangements in the strongest position possible.”

Councillors discussed the government’s announcement as part of the Council’s consideration of the final proposals for local government reorganisation in Surrey during its meeting last Thursday, 8 May 2025.

The government will consider the council’s financial position in the forthcoming Spending Review, which will be announced on Wednesday, 11 June 2025.

During the meeting on Thursday, Woking councillors heard that this decision represented a positive statement of intent to move forward on the issue, and discussions were being held with the Government on the details of a potential settlement.

The settlement of the Woking position in advance of unitarisation will take some of the financial pressure off the legacy for future unitary and strategic authorities. In the interim, the continuation of exceptional financial support will be critical to the setting of a balanced budget for Woking Borough Council in 2026/27.

Read the report