Consultation process of 110 extra houses started

I strongly object to planning application 21/P/01283 to change the conditions for building 295 houses to enable a new Howard of Effingham School for the following considerations:

These are major material changes to the conditions set by the Secretary of State in 2018, it would represent a significant increase in the inappropriate development in the Green Belt, 37% increase in the number of enabling dwellings to 405 and 27% increase in the Green Belt being developed. Further, developing this area will cause substantial harm to the openness of the Green Belt.

There is no evidence or reasoned justification for further special or exceptional circumstances for this additional development in the Green Belt, especially as since the 20/P/02048 application in 2018 a new 4 form entry free school has opened in Cobham.

The loss of a designated amenity green-space, as designated in Condition 7 of planning application for the new school 20/P/02048. This land is designated for planting and landscaping, not building.

As this parameter change is primarily to facilitate an extra 110 houses plus on site C ‘a number’ of self build houses of which the quantity is unknown, it is important to state that there is no evidence presented to justify claims that rebuilding the school, which was financially viable at the appeal, has become financially unviable. And there is no evidence to show this extra 37% + increase of houses will make it viable. House pricing in this area has increased above the price of building houses (up 11% just in 2021), which suggests this development as currently approved has become more lucrative for the developer.

Climate change issues as stated in the technical documents of 21/P/01283; Construction stage emissions from fuel / energy consumption due to the delivery of material to site have the potential to be large. Further, changes to regional traffic flows are expected and this has the potential to result in a large change in GHG emissions.

All planning applications for the Effingham Lodge Farm site have already been approved. This further application is three years since the appeal decision by the State. A contract was made between the developer, the school and the State in 2018 which is now being reneged on. If the developer had acted within planning timescales this would not be in question.

I strongly object for the reasons given above.

I strongly object to planning application 21/P/01306 for an additional 110 dwellings on the Green Belt, for the following considerations:

The planning applications 20/P/02048 for Effingham Lodge Farm housing and two other sites were submitted and agreed by State to enable the building of the school 3 years ago, any further development represents inappropriate development in the Green Belt and further encroachment on the countryside. Developing this area further will cause substantial harm to the openness of the Green Belt.

295 houses will put an enormous strain on Effingham’s infrastructure. And a further 110 houses that are of a greater density will be overwhelming for Effingham and its surrounds. It is unacceptable for Effingham to have to loose more of its Green Belt to housing and for residents to endure some 2 years extra construction disruption, noise and dust on top of the 5 proposed years. And further, to suffer the increased urban sprawl, traffic and pollution in our small village, a rural village without local access to a doctor or chemist, for a promise made between the developer, the school and the State, which is now being reneged on.

This proposed site is not a windfall site, neither is it in the Effingham Village Plan, the Effingham housing need requirements, or within the settlement area.

Evidence needs to be provided for further special or exceptional circumstances for this land to be developed. This inappropriate development in the Green Belt, will increase urban sprawl by developing further down Effingham Common Road, and is not in keeping with the ribbon development ‘design code’ of the road.

The amenity green-space on the approved Condition 7 of planning application for the new school 20/P/02048 will be lost.

This application will do significant harm to Thornet Wood part of an Ancient semi-natural woodland and Sites of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCIs), and fails to maintain a 15 metre buffer that was approved in application 20/P/02048. Along with loss of biodiversity and loss off ecological habitat. Further there will be a loss of public visual amenity from the public footpath on Effingham Common Road, where pedestrians have unrestricted views across the farmland to the land proposed for the Playing Field and Thornet Wood.

Effingham Lodge Farm and Thornet Wood currently create large volumes of surface water since there are natural springs which can cause issues in Water Lane Bookham. Some of the surface and ground water travels under Effingham Common Road, the road subsides in places e.g. by Upper Leawood Farm Field. The culvert then enters a ditch that travels up Effingham Common Road and requires regular maintenance by the Council. An investigation needs to be carried out to qualify whether the ditch and culvert system will be sufficient to carry excess surface water created by the run off of this additional development (also see Thames Water correspondence).

There is no evidence presented to justify claims that rebuilding the school, which was financially viable at the appeal, is now financially unviable. Especially as the house prices in this area have increased above the price of building homes (+11% in 2021 alone) which suggests this development as currently approved has become more lucrative for the developer.

This application includes the outline application of a large self build plot on Lower Road which currently has buildings from the original Farm. There is an undesignated amount of houses in the outline and therefore it represents further possible land to be overdeveloped in the future, in an already overbearing overdevelopment of Effingham. This land should be allocated as public amenity green space in perpetuity.

The design and appearance of the houses is unimaginative, bulky and already looks dated when you compare other developments. The density of buildings appears greater than houses in other phases of this development, and therefore will not be within Effingham Neighbourhood Plan density regulations. The overbearing scale of roof structures are out of keeping with the local Surrey Vernacular and should be pitched to reduce bulk.

There are concerns regarding access and highways safety and traffic generation, with an extra 110 houses having direct access to the new school road the Transport Assessment has to be re-evaluated. There is inadequate parking and servicing, no electric car points. All drives and paths require porous materials to minimise surface water.

H2: ‘Affordable homes’ identifies the Council’s target for provision of at least 40% affordable homes on sites of 11 dwellings or more, at 20% this has not been met.

There is no access to essential GP services in Effingham.

Climate change issues as stated in the technical documents of 21/P/01283

Construction stage emissions from fuel / energy consumption due to the delivery of material to site have the potential to be large. Further, changes to regional traffic flows are expected and this has the potential to result in a large change in GHG emissions.

The document states there is likely to be a moderate (adverse) residual effect on climate, however the only significant mitigation suggested are smart meters and recycling.

1 thought on “Consultation process of 110 extra houses started”

Chris Lightfoot says:

6 August 2021 at 10:37 am

I strongly object to planning application 21/P/01283 to change the conditions for building 295 houses to enable a new Howard of Effingham School for the following considerations:

These are major material changes to the conditions set by the Secretary of State in 2018, it would represent a significant increase in the inappropriate development in the Green Belt, 37% increase in the number of enabling dwellings to 405 and 27% increase in the Green Belt being developed. Further, developing this area will cause substantial harm to the openness of the Green Belt.

There is no evidence or reasoned justification for further special or exceptional circumstances for this additional development in the Green Belt, especially as since the 20/P/02048 application in 2018 a new 4 form entry free school has opened in Cobham.

The loss of a designated amenity green-space, as designated in Condition 7 of planning application for the new school 20/P/02048. This land is designated for planting and landscaping, not building.

As this parameter change is primarily to facilitate an extra 110 houses plus on site C ‘a number’ of self build houses of which the quantity is unknown, it is important to state that there is no evidence presented to justify claims that rebuilding the school, which was financially viable at the appeal, has become financially unviable. And there is no evidence to show this extra 37% + increase of houses will make it viable. House pricing in this area has increased above the price of building houses (up 11% just in 2021), which suggests this development as currently approved has become more lucrative for the developer.

Climate change issues as stated in the technical documents of 21/P/01283; Construction stage emissions from fuel / energy consumption due to the delivery of material to site have the potential to be large. Further, changes to regional traffic flows are expected and this has the potential to result in a large change in GHG emissions.

All planning applications for the Effingham Lodge Farm site have already been approved. This further application is three years since the appeal decision by the State. A contract was made between the developer, the school and the State in 2018 which is now being reneged on. If the developer had acted within planning timescales this would not be in question.

I strongly object for the reasons given above.

I strongly object to planning application 21/P/01306 for an additional 110 dwellings on the Green Belt, for the following considerations:

The planning applications 20/P/02048 for Effingham Lodge Farm housing and two other sites were submitted and agreed by State to enable the building of the school 3 years ago, any further development represents inappropriate development in the Green Belt and further encroachment on the countryside. Developing this area further will cause substantial harm to the openness of the Green Belt.

295 houses will put an enormous strain on Effingham’s infrastructure. And a further 110 houses that are of a greater density will be overwhelming for Effingham and its surrounds. It is unacceptable for Effingham to have to loose more of its Green Belt to housing and for residents to endure some 2 years extra construction disruption, noise and dust on top of the 5 proposed years. And further, to suffer the increased urban sprawl, traffic and pollution in our small village, a rural village without local access to a doctor or chemist, for a promise made between the developer, the school and the State, which is now being reneged on.

This proposed site is not a windfall site, neither is it in the Effingham Village Plan, the Effingham housing need requirements, or within the settlement area.

Evidence needs to be provided for further special or exceptional circumstances for this land to be developed. This inappropriate development in the Green Belt, will increase urban sprawl by developing further down Effingham Common Road, and is not in keeping with the ribbon development ‘design code’ of the road.

The amenity green-space on the approved Condition 7 of planning application for the new school 20/P/02048 will be lost.

This application will do significant harm to Thornet Wood part of an Ancient semi-natural woodland and Sites of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCIs), and fails to maintain a 15 metre buffer that was approved in application 20/P/02048. Along with loss of biodiversity and loss off ecological habitat. Further there will be a loss of public visual amenity from the public footpath on Effingham Common Road, where pedestrians have unrestricted views across the farmland to the land proposed for the Playing Field and Thornet Wood.

Effingham Lodge Farm and Thornet Wood currently create large volumes of surface water since there are natural springs which can cause issues in Water Lane Bookham. Some of the surface and ground water travels under Effingham Common Road, the road subsides in places e.g. by Upper Leawood Farm Field. The culvert then enters a ditch that travels up Effingham Common Road and requires regular maintenance by the Council. An investigation needs to be carried out to qualify whether the ditch and culvert system will be sufficient to carry excess surface water created by the run off of this additional development (also see Thames Water correspondence).

There is no evidence presented to justify claims that rebuilding the school, which was financially viable at the appeal, is now financially unviable. Especially as the house prices in this area have increased above the price of building homes (+11% in 2021 alone) which suggests this development as currently approved has become more lucrative for the developer.

This application includes the outline application of a large self build plot on Lower Road which currently has buildings from the original Farm. There is an undesignated amount of houses in the outline and therefore it represents further possible land to be overdeveloped in the future, in an already overbearing overdevelopment of Effingham. This land should be allocated as public amenity green space in perpetuity.

The design and appearance of the houses is unimaginative, bulky and already looks dated when you compare other developments. The density of buildings appears greater than houses in other phases of this development, and therefore will not be within Effingham Neighbourhood Plan density regulations. The overbearing scale of roof structures are out of keeping with the local Surrey Vernacular and should be pitched to reduce bulk.

There are concerns regarding access and highways safety and traffic generation, with an extra 110 houses having direct access to the new school road the Transport Assessment has to be re-evaluated. There is inadequate parking and servicing, no electric car points. All drives and paths require porous materials to minimise surface water.

H2: ‘Affordable homes’ identifies the Council’s target for provision of at least 40% affordable homes on sites of 11 dwellings or more, at 20% this has not been met.

There is no access to essential GP services in Effingham.

Climate change issues as stated in the technical documents of 21/P/01283

Construction stage emissions from fuel / energy consumption due to the delivery of material to site have the potential to be large. Further, changes to regional traffic flows are expected and this has the potential to result in a large change in GHG emissions.

The document states there is likely to be a moderate (adverse) residual effect on climate, however the only significant mitigation suggested are smart meters and recycling.