Waverley Lane, Farnham, Planning Inquiry Update July 2017
The Secretary of State’s office have sought responses to events, cases and information submitted by interested parties since April, including the Waverley Local Plan EiP, judicial review hearing and decision, and court cases decisions related to similar circumstances. The latest date advised by his office by which a decision will be made is 13 September 2017.
Previous website posting below
The Public Inquiry Appeal by Wates Development Ltd against Waverley’s refusal of their planning application for 157 dwellings on the fields in Waverley Lane started on Tuesday 16 August 2016, and the first session lasted until Tuesday 23 August when the hearing was adjourned. The hearing was reconvened on Tuesday 18 October, the second session and hearing closing on Thursday 20 October. Wates withdrew the two supplementary applications but appealed the first and main application which received 1,192 objections.
The appeal was ‘recovered’, the planning term for the Secretary of State (SoS) calling in the final decision, after the Farnham Neighbourhood Plan was found to meet the basic conditions for Neighbourhood Plans on 22 February 2017. With recorded appeals the Inspector makes a recommendation but the SoS’s office will decide whether they will allow the appeal.
On 17 March the SoS’s office informed Waverley and Wates that they had until 31 March 2017 to submit representation to them resulting from the Farnham Neighbourhood Plan being found to meet the conditions and going to referendum on 4 May.
The Inquiry Hearing between 16 August and 23 August was well attended by residents. Thank you if you attended. The Inspector does record residents’ interest in the appeal. Independent Ward Councillor Andy MacLeod participated during the Appeal Hearing particularly on the question of the Five Year Housing Land Supply and the fact that the delivery of houses is by housing developers not Waverley. South Farnham Residents’ Association (SOFRA) questioned several of Wates’ consultants called to provide evidence and the Bourne Conservation Group and Peter Bridgeman gave evidence to support the defence of the Appeal.
This proposed development would, without a shadow of doubt, hugely increase the traffic flow, congestion and pollution in Waverley Lane, especially at the Farnham station crossing gates. Furthermore, how can it be good planning practice to allow high density housing in an area with two major schools that already cause substantial traffic congestion at either end of the school day, not to mention increasing the risk to children’s health and safety, by allowing such a development?
Residents in the immediate area pay substantially to live there and, in so doing, bring enhanced prosperity to businesses in Farnham.
Furthermore, it is undeniable that there would be an unacceptable destruction of woodland and wildlife habitat. Once destroyed, never regained, especially in areas where there is high density housing. Our children will not thank us for permitting their quality of life to be further eroded by untrammelled development by commercial entities pursuing profit. Surely, there must be more suitable sites?
Objectors to this ill-conceived scheme have every reason to be angry at the possibility of such a proposal being passed. I sincerely hope that the appeal will be firmly rejected.