Many residents will have read the Autumn Newsletter from Effingham Parish Council (EPC) and been surprised by the statement from Chairman Liz Hogger urging Berkeley Homes to fulfil its promise to build the new school and hundreds of new homes.
EFFRA has written to EPC to express its concern at EPC’s apparent change of policy regarding this development. EFFRA has pointed out that EPC has fought two Appeals against this scheme with the legal costs paid for by residents out of the Precept. This is probably the most important issue facing our village and EFFRA believes that any proposed change in EPC’s position should be thoroughly debated.
EPC’s Newsletter mentions the possibility of Effingham Lodge Farm being defined as “Grey Belt”. How planning applications will be dealt with under “Grey Belt” status is currently unclear. It would not necessarily mean that Berkeley Homes would still be able to build the number and density of homes for which they currently have permission if they did not build the school. The Inspector specifically allowed the numbers and density of houses due to the exceptional circumstances of the need for a new school, ignoring planning constraints. If such a school was not to be built, then normal planning constraints should apply, including policies in the Local Plan and Neighbourhood Plan about the effect on the character of the area and the environment including the Ancient Woodland.
If EPC has changed its stance on this development, EFFRA has asked that this is debated in public at the next Parish Council meeting.
This sounds outrageous. I totally agree that any change in EPC’s stance needs full consideration by the RESIDENTS!
EPC should call a public meeting specifically to discuss this very serious issue.
I am not fully aware of the situation but it always seemed to me that given the plan is to build 400 new homes in Effingham, adjacent the Bookham border, and another ?200plus in Bookham adjacent Effingham border (???? Farm) that any new school would need to be somewhat larger that the current school. I think that 600 homes would be an extra approx.50% on the current number of homes in Effingham. Comments from EPC. please
Parish council incompetance again.
Speaking as the Chairman of Effingham Parish Council and the author of the Newsletter article, I can assure EFFRA and all residents that there has been no change in the Parish Council’s position, and I do not believe the wording in the Newsletter suggests any such change.
Parish councillors, EFFRA and residents fought hard for the village against Berkeley Homes through two planning appeals, at significant cost both financially and in terms of stress and time for those of us involved in giving evidence at Inquiry. And the hard fact is that we lost, twice.
If the current reserved matters application for a same-size school is approved, Berkeley Homes will have full permission to build over 400 houses plus the new school. Therefore the Parish Council’s clear responsibility is to aim for the best outcome for the Effingham community from that starting point, recognising that the disgraceful, undemocratic, decisions of the government-controlled Planning Inspectorate cannot be undone.
Parents of children at the Howard School, including of course many Effingham residents, are increasingly worried by the worsening condition of the school buildings. As I point out in the Newsletter, now that Berkeley Homes does have planning permission, the least they can do in exchange for all that house-building is to get on and actually build the new school that they’ve been promising for over 10 years. That’s plain common sense in the interests of both the village and the school, and certainly not a change in policy or a change in position.
With the recent changes in government planning policy, which means Guildford’s housing target has doubled, our worry that Berkeley Homes may instead go for a ‘grey belt’ designation for Effingham Lodge Farm and seek to build houses without a school is a legitimate concern. Hundreds of houses on Lodge Farm and no new school would be the worst of all worlds for Effingham.