DEVELOPERS who want to build 81 homes on green belt land in Bookham have been branded “opportunists” by villagers.
Gleeson Developments has submitted an application to Mole Valley District Council to construct the homes on 12 acres of grass and scrubland in Guildford Road.
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OPPOSED to plan: Members of Bookham Vanguard
However, Bookham Vanguard, the group charged by the district council with identifying land for development in the village, says the company has jumped the gun.
The group is in the process of drafting a Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) which, when ratified, will be consulted when planning applications are made.
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Group spokeswoman Cathryn Hossack told the Advertiser they considered the application “very premature”, adding: “They know the village is in the process of developing a planning document and that this piece of land is one that has been earmarked.
“It is likely the land will go up for development once the NDP is finalised and they are being opportunistic in trying to get the plot before any other developer.
“We want the land to be a part of a plan by local people so we as a village can decide how many houses, what it will look like and the infrastructure that will support it.
“These ideas should come from the local community and not be proposed by faceless developers, so we would only welcome applications after we have finished our NDP.”
Gleeson’s application proposes 81 two, three and four-bedroom houses, plus parking and landscaping.
The application states: “On any view of the evidence, green belt sites are inevitably needed to meet the housing requirement. It is not appropriate to seek to wait for the emerging neighbourhood plan, as there is a need to deliver housing now.
“The neighbourhood forum also recognises the need to develop on green belt land but the neighbourhood plan is at the early stages of production. Sites need to be delivered now.”
The application includes 32 affordable homes, for which Gleeson states there is a “massive and pressing need” in Mole Valley.
“The record of provision (of affordable housing) is abysmal,” the statement reads. “The position in this district is very poor indeed. This failure to meet affordable housing needs is not a marginal one. It is a massive failure, with human consequences that are often forgotten in the analysis of statistics.”
This week, villagers attacked the scheme. Derek Andrews, of neighbouring Groveside Close, said: “To put a development that size into this area is ridiculous. You are talking about another 300 or so people suddenly coming in to Bookham and what effects will that have on the schools, the doctors and everything else?
“The traffic would be a nightmare and, although I understand we need housing, you are talking about a whole new village coming in. It is a dreadful idea.”
The National Trust also objected to the plans, saying the development would cause “significant harm” to the green belt.
The district council is carrying out a review of green belt land in a bid to meet its Government target of providing 3,760 new homes before 2026, but, as Bookham is creating its own NDP, it is not included.
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