Yesterday evening (27 October) Effingham Parish Council agreed to object to planning application 26/P/01289 submitted by Berkeley Homes for 600 dwellings on Effingham Lodge Farm, north of Lower Road. EFFRA will also strongly object.
There are currently already 26 objections on the Guildford Borough Council website. If you disagree with this application please submit an objection as every individual objection counts and helps make our planning authority aware of the community’s views. Please also share this post and encourage every member of your household and friends to submit an objection. Objections should be submitted by 20 November.
There are 3 ways to make an objection:
1 . Via the Guildford Borough Council (GBC) planning portal using the link below which takes you to the planning application. Then click on Comments and then Make a Comment. You will need to Log in to make a comment and register if you have not previously used the planning portal. This is a fairly simple process. The link is in blue to planning application 26/P/01289
2. Send an email to planningenquiries@guildford.gov.uk quoting the planning application 26/P/01289 and provide your full name and full postal address with postcode.
3. Write giving your full name and full postal address with postcode to:
Planning Enquiries
Planning Department
Guildford Borough Council
Millmead House
Millmead
GUILDFORD GU2 4BB
The first method is preferred by GBC and most quickly appears on the portal. Note the portal has been slow recently and sometimes goes down for a short period.
To be considered as objections comments should say “I object” be based on material planning considerations and should not include offensive or inflammatory comments. Names will appear on the website but addresses are screened out and not made public.
Objections are best written personally and there are some very good individual objections already posted, but possible planning grounds include:
- The land is Green Belt and cannot be classed as Grey Belt and available for development as claimed by Berkeley Homes as it is a continuation of the Green Belt that restricts the outward spread of Leatherhead, Fetcham and Bookham and satisfies Green Belt Purpose A. The development would therefore be inappropriate development in the Green Belt. If the land were to be classed as Grey Belt (which EFFRA believes would be incorrect) it would need to meet the “Golden Rules” for it to be agreed for development. EFFRA does not believe it meets these “Golden Rules”.
- 600 extra dwellings would represent an increase of 50% of the existing number of dwellings in Effingham. They would be concentrated on the site directly opposite the Howard of Effingham School and accessed from already busy roads. The roads in the village and other infrastructures including the Howard of Effingham School cannot cope with such an increase. Public transport is poor in Effingham and the increase in vehicle traffic from this proposed development will be unsustainable.
- Effingham is a historic village with a protected Conservation Area. This development will be out of character with the village and will damage the Conservation Area which it will border.
- 300 affordable homes are inappropriate in a small village with few local jobs and poor transport links. It is contrary to Government Policy which is to build them in urban areas with good infrastructure.