On behalf of Effingham Residents Association may we wish all our readers a very Happy New Year 

This year will be an interesting one for Effingham and its surrounding area. There will be no let up in the numerous plans, both small and large, to build over the Green Belt, in and around Wisley and our village. If you have experienced long queues and traffic delays driving to the station or passing by or going to and from our schools – it’s set to get much worse.

So what can we expect:

The 295 homes Berkeley Homes & Howard of Effingham School planning application is set to go before Guildford Borough Planning Committee on 15 January – unless it is delayed further as Berkeley Homes need to establish “very special circumstance” to justify building on Green Belt. 

Next the 2100 new homes on the former Wisley Airfield will also go before the above Planning Committee. The application faces stiff local opposition and from authorities such as Surrey Highways. One huge obstruction to this massive development is the need to comply with EU regulations. EU regulations demand suitable alternative recreation spaces. Developers and planners cannot just rely on Wisley & Ockham Common. They must provide a viable alternative. It’s called a SANG, a Suitable Alternative Natural Green open space.  You might wish to Google the planning term SANG as it is high up there in the world of planning.

Effingham Parish Council is still forging ahead with its controversial Neighbourhood Plan. They face opposition from Effingham Residents Association – we have the uphill task of properly reflecting the majority views of our residents, advice from Campaign for Protection of Rural England (CPRE) and the Independent Examiner whilst keeping residents informed and fully aware of what the above organisations and individuals see are the risks the Parish Council face.

 

You will wish to know that the Government has launched a “consultation” (we all know/guess what that means) for plans to release Green Belt for smaller affordable developments. Perhaps the Government has not noticed that affordable is not actually what these properties turn out to be. CPRE commented, “Nibble nibble”.  It’s just another way of giving developers our Green Belt land

Guildford Borough Council must produce a Local Plan. This comes down to yet more housing developments. Of course they won’t actually build on the Green Belt as the Borough council will simply change the Green Belt boundaries.

We will publish our second four-page Newsletter covering these and other local topics.

We will be holding a Gypsy Traveller familiarisation event in February entitled “Gypsy Travellers their Past, Present and Future”. These groups collectively are the second largest minority group in the UK and they attract strongly held views on both sides. But then so did other minority groups a couple of decades ago.

Stay informed by following:

www.effinghamresidents.org

Check out our Stop Press leaflets and Newsletters. Read the online Guildford Dragon Newspaper, Dorking & Leatherhead Advertiser and Guildford Advertiser. You can also read getSURREY articles.

Happy New Year from the Editor