Tag: Ewhurst

Ewhurst villagers getting angry in the stomping grounds of their MP

The residents of Ewhurst are following in the footsteps of their neighbours in “Poor old Alfold”.

MP for Guildford, Cranleigh Ewhurst and villages Angela Richardson

 Alfold residents have appealed to MP Angela Richardson for help, to no avail; however, she may respond to cries for help from the village where her family resides in Ewhurst? Or, will she turn her back on them too and remain silent for her old Tory colleagues?

WHY? Because the eastern villages and the Surrey Hills are alive with the sound of objections from residents fed up with cement lorries rolling through their rural villages.

Former County Councillors – the Young Duo turn developers?

Former Tory county councillors Victoria & Alan Young want to join other successful developers currently concreting over Ewhurst, and villagers claim they are responding to “greed and not need.”

Mr & Mrs Young have submitted an outline planning application to build 20 homes at Tree Tops, Mapledrakes Rd, Ewhurst, following the demolition of an existing dwelling. Not that there are so many treetops there because lots of them, say The Forestry Commission have “illegally” been given the chop!

Letters are pouring into Waverley Borough Council’s planning department objecting to an application by Alan and Victoria Young, both former Surrey County Councillors for Ewhurst and  Cranleigh.

Villagers say Ewhurst’s  Neighbourhood Plan lays out in great detail (and after an enormous amount of time and input from numerous parties) why certain sites are more or less appropriate for development.

The recent developments in Cherry Tree Lane, Chanrossa and Firethorn Farm will result in a huge increase in traffic, air pollution, and excessive strain on local services and schools, and this development would only add to these problems. The original overall target number of new homes in Ewhurst by 2032 jas already been well exceeded. 

This proposed site was not included in the NP and in fact, lies outside the settlement boundary of the village. As Ewhurst has already met and exceeded the quantity of expected development for Waverley council, it seems even more appropriate that the recommendations of the NP should be respected in full.

Waverley Officer laden down with applications or objections

Others say in  their objections on ‘Your Waverley’s ‘ Planning Portal:

We have been inundated with new houses far and above the original plan for Ewhurst.

The houses being allowed are not suitable for the village’s requirements ( i.e. affordable housing for the young and small homes for the elderly). The number of properties being approved is detrimental to the village, with no allowances made for the infrastructure.

All general services such as doctors, dentists, shopping etc. being located in Cranleigh.

“Mapledrakes Road is already over busy with parked cars causing a hazard for local users ( cars parked are not solely the residents). The proposed buildings are not in keeping with the surrounding area. This village is being destroyed through greed and not need.”

You can view dozens of objections here: Waverley Planing Portal – Treetops

 

Treetops Planning History

 

Another  says:

I strongly object on the following grounds

  •  Ewhurst is a small village with limited infrastructure that is already buckling under the strain of two large developments currently under construction. These developments have already allocated new properties over the amount required by the Waverley Local Plan.

 

  •  The loss of many hundreds of square metres of grassland and woodland to concrete, tarmac and non-porous surfaces will lead to surface runoff into the ancient woodland, and cobblers brook watercourse will result in further damage to wildlife and create an unnecessary flooding risk on the steeply graded site, that not all drainage will capture.

 

  •  Increased traffic on a quiet residential road. Not only will the increased traffic from residents contribute to damage and traffic for Mapledrakes road and the Glebe (The Glebe recently had pavement repairs due to HGV damage as it is not suitable) but also the 8 wheeled HGV’s needed for soil removal and deliveries driving up and down to the site will further destroy the village, especially as both Glebe and Mapledrakes entrances are virtually single-lane access due to parked cars, not to mention the constructions workers vehicles which have already obliterated the footpath on other developments on the Green in Ewhurst.

 

  • . Light pollution from new houses in the proposed new development which will again change forever the quiet Village ambience of the darkness that makes a village a special place to live, adding this light pollution so near to woodland and an AONB is further proof that profits of developers mean more than the feelings of local communities.

 

Felling of ancient woodland and allegedly breaching Forestry Commissions act 1967 should itself be indicative of the lengths developers will go to in order to circumvent plans and push their developments through. Not only is the site unsuitable for this type and size of development it would destabilise the delicate eco structure of the woodland it is adjacent too and should be rejected in its entirety. I could go on but the dozens of objections expressed by residents and official bodies should give you a feeling that this development IS NOT NEEDED!!!

 

Former County Councillors – the Young Duo turn developers?

Former Tory county councillors Victoria & Alan Young want to join the developers concreting over Ewhurst.

 Gotta pick a pocket or 20? As former Ewhurst & Cranleigh County Councillor Alan Young turns property developer on his old hunting patch in the Surrey Hills.

In 2018 Waverley Web wrote the post featured below.

Here’s an extract.

“Then along comes former Conservative Surrey Councillor Alan Young snaffling up a property in Mapledrakes Road, Ewhurst, which he’s presently sitting on, keeping nicely warm and hoping to hatch another shedload of housing soon now that the trees have been felled? Oops did we forget, the property was purchased from a Ewhurst parish councillor, who threatened to sue the Waverley Web, after “a friend” informed us that it had been owned by the P Cllr’s late father not him personally !!

Is Guildford Conservative​ Association the latest breeding ground for developers?

So what better time to hit ‘Your Waverley’ with planning application No: WA/2022/00763) for 20 homes at Cobblers Brook Mapledrakes Road Ewhurst – and who better than to pally up with Mr and Mrs Alan Young than the notorious developer Hamish Robbie. of Crownhall Estates?

Not that the owners want you to know it is their application!!.

Will a defection from the Tories be the… kiss of death for our very own Houdini – Alan Young?

This extract is from his campaigning leaflet in 2013 (note point 3)
Preserving the countryside –
“I shall continue to fight tooth and nail to preserve our beautiful countryside and unique villages.”

So hard has he worked that in November last year, he clear-felled all the oak trees (some 100 years old) on the site a week before the Environment Bill was due to pass? We guess that he saw this in the paper: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/08/14/tree-felling-surges-england-tough-new-rules-come-force/

The Forestry Commission was called out by villagers, prompting an immediate investigation. It has now commented on the planning application for all to see:
The illegal felling is documented in the plans he submitted as they had them drawn up with the trees in place, then had a tree report hastily put together the week after he felled them all.

 Now villagers are ganging up to object to the scheme, one says. 

“Ewhurst is being destroyed through greed not need.”

Villagers’ reasons for opposing the scheme will follow in another post.

Alan YoungNOW… POST – ELECTION stress disorder epidemic hits Ewhurst and Cranleigh.

 

Ewhurst and eastern villages of Waverley is a COVID hotspot.

 

Ewhurst – home to the rich and famous has the fourth-highest COVID-19 infection rate in the South East!

 

The pretty village which nestles into the Surrey Hills is more famous for the blockbuster films made there. Jurassic Park, Star Wars, and the credits roll on and on.

Here at the WW, we cannot fully understand why Ewhurst was linked with Chiddingfold – 20 miles away in the infection rate data of 1,000 cases per 100,000 people in the week beginning October 7? However, we believed the  Public Health England figures must include the eastern villages between Ewhurst and Chiddingfold. Confusing or what? 

For the week to October 6, the neighbourhood of Ewhurst & Chiddingfold in Waverley had the highest rate in Surrey with a figure of 1103.3.

Weybridge Riverside and Oatlands in Elmbridge follow, with infection rates of 1103.3 and 945.9, respectively.

Ranked from highest to lowest infection rate, 77 neighbourhoods in Surrey currently have a higher infection rate than the national average for England.

It is important to note that these neighbourhoods are small in size, meaning that a slight increase in case numbers can signal a significant increase in infection rate.

Health officials set up a Covid testing centre in the village for two weeks, which has now been removed.

 

 

 

Breaking News. Ewhurst Appeal at Larkfield allowed by the Government.

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Might just as well ditch the ballot box, and all the huffing and puffing at ‘Your Waverley’ because the Government wants to blow them all down and continue to allow development in the countryside.

Ignoring the views of local residents are becoming an everyday occurrence as to-day Waverley Borough Council lose yet another planning appeal. This time for 59 homes on land outside the settlement boundary of Ewhurst. Rendering yet another Neighbourhood Plan useless.

So there you have it. Two homes built by Berkeley Homes just 20 years ago will be demolished to make way for  47 new homes can be built – 15 of which will be “affordable” on land at Firethorn Farm. Land owned by a former Ewhurst resident who has bu**ered off to live in the rural Hampshire countryside. Same resident who trousered millions after receiving planning permission on appeal for Larkfield.

Trees covered by Tree Preservation Orders will require removal, but then that’s not a problem is it?  As for the Neighbourhood Plan – here’s what the Inspector thinks of that little nuisance document that villagers have spent many months putting together!  

Screen Shot 2019-02-26 at 10.31.42.pngIn the meantime developers, Miller Homes are busy covering another part of Ewhurst in concrete, completely destroying the hedge along the entire length of the access road at Backward Point off the Cranleigh Road, Ewhurst. A hedge which has been destroyed by concrete sets laid down against the hedge which has completely destroyed the hedge’s its root system, and now leaves the nearby properties completely exposed.

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Here is the decision. A decision that will rock the socks off Waverley Planners who may find themselves in trouble with the Government as they may once again find themselves not performing against the critical data as they continue to lose major appeals. 

PS. No objection from Protect Our Waverley or the Campaign for The Preservation of Rural England. The Surrey Hills AONB, which overlooks the site –  made the fact that it had no objection known to the Inspector.

Firethorn Farm Ewhurst – Appeal Decision