FARLEIGH MEADOWS/LAND AT NO.1 PARK LANE

Some of you have received a public consultation leaflet from ‘Chartwell Land and New Homes’ giving limited details for a proposed outline planning application for 45 units of apartments and houses (40% affordable) at Farleigh Meadows.

SWGB would again strongly advise against giving feedback or making comments until the planning application is live, which is expected this month. Chartwell have implied that Surrey Highways and the Lead Local Flood Authority are satisfied with the proposed access arrangements and flooding but they have only had pre-application advice, which is limited to the prospect of success, changes required and advising which documents need to be submitted for the planning application. Both Surrey Highways and Lead Local Flood Authority will make their decision once they have seen the planning application and not before. Please find the consultation leaflet here.

   

OTHER SITES IN WARLINGHAM

• Alexandra Avenue/Greenhill Lane 

A planning application is expected at any time for 50 houses and a 72 bed care home.

• Former Shelton Sports Ground 

There are still legalities being dealt with. If Shelton Close can’t be used as emergency access, then an alternative needs to be provided.
 

SWGB MEETS WITH CALA HOMES

On 24th October 2024, Cllr Keith Prew, two Planning Officers from Tandridge District Council and SWGB met with Cala homes to discuss continuing issues with the John Fisher development including the stacked cabins up against residents’ gardens on the Limpsfield Road, which had brought great distress since they were erected last July. We are pleased to confirm that the stacked cabins have been removed which restores the privacy and enjoyment of resident’s gardens, who faced this eyesore for the next 2 years. Discussions are still on going to resolve other matters.
 

BRIDLEWAY 88

The Secretary of State for Transport has given permission to Cala homes to keep bridleway 88 closed until October 2025. Work is being carried out on the new pavilion and football pitches at the new John Fisher site because they need to be completed before Cala can build on the remainder of the old John Fisher pitches.
 

THE GOVERNMENT

Yesterday the government published the new ‘National Planning Policy Framework’ which sets out the government’s planning policies for England. It is why we are seeing an increase in speculative planning applications on green belt as developers seek to cash in on policy changes.

In a press statement published by the government they also said the updated NPPF would:

• require councils to review their green belt boundaries, and identify and prioritise “grey belt” land
• make developers of green belt sites comply with “golden rules”, requiring them to provide necessary infrastructure and “premium” levels of affordable housing
• provide new “immediate mandatory” housing targets for councils
• give councils 12 weeks to commit to a timetable for producing a new local plan

The implications for Tandridge District Council are huge as we are 94% Green Belt. Tandridge currently builds around 261 dwellings per annum. However, Labour’s new confirmed target means our district will need to build 843 dwellings per annum and this target will be ‘mandatory’. Grey belt land will also be defined as “green belt land which makes a ‘limited contribution’ to the green belt’s purposes”. Further guidance as to assessing Green Belt Land will be provided in January 2025.

Tandridge District Council’s planning department are likely to see a massive increase in planning applications submitted on green belt land because we don’t have an up-to-date Local Plan. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner announced that councils would be forced to give up swathes of the green belt to help the Labour government achieve its immediate housing targets, a part of its push to build 1.5 million new homes in five years. Experts state that the government’s plans to allow building of 1.5 million dwellings during this parliament would be on an area of green belt bigger than Surrey.

Rosie Pearson, from the Community Planning Alliance of grassroots groups, warned that “we are going to see random ‘cowpat’ developments in the middle of the green belt without infrastructure and without affordable housing”. She added: “For the green belt and countryside it’s going to be the worst sprawl we’ve seen since the Fifties. It could be any countryside near you that is at risk.”

SWGB firmly believes that the government’s plans are not primarily directed at solving the housing crisis. Instead, they are focused on making it easier for mass house builders to build houses on green open spaces. These are highly profitable for the developers. But they don’t provide for those in real housing need despite the claims about providing ‘affordable housing’.

SWGB will report later on, in more detail what the new National Planning Policy Framework means for Tandridge District.