THE need for more homes across Waverley has increased from 470 to 519 each year according to the West Surrey Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) published last week.

The joint study of housing need across Waverley, Guildford and Woking for the period 2013 to 2033 looks at how much housing is needed across the three boroughs, taking into account the latest government projections.

The new study has found more than double the number of new homes are needed in Waverley than previously estimated over the next 18 years.

This far exceeds the 250 figure quoted in Waverley Borough council’s failed 2013 draft Local Plan, setting out where to build around 8,500 new homes over the next two decades.

The new study also outstrips the 470 homes projected in the last West Surrey SHMA, published just months after criticism of Waverley’s housing projections by a government inspector forced the council to scrap its last attempt at a Local Plan.

Waverley has blamed the rising housing need figure on changes to planning rules by central government, which it says have also delayed the production of a new Local Plan, leaving the borough vulnerable to speculative housing developments.

But deputy leader Julia Potts hailed the publication of the new SHMA as a significant step forward, adding the borough council will now test the 519 figure against Waverley’s capacity to cope with the influx of new homes.

Miss Potts said: “This is an important part of the evidence base for our new Local Plan. Now that we have a housing figure to work with we can now move forward and build on the progress we have already made in developing the new Local Plan.

“The council will continue to test the 519 figure against some considerable environmental constraints we have in Waverley such as congestion, transportation and flood risks and the council is gathering evidence to see if Waverley can accommodate this amount of housing.

“It is also essential the emerging Local Plan takes into account our many landscape designations and has the appropriate infrastructure in place to support any future housing.

“The most important thing is that any new homes are built in the right places and that the council works with Waverley residents to ensure it has the right strategy in place to meet our community’s needs over the coming years.”

It has yet to be decided how this will affect the allocation of new housing development in Haslemere and surrounding areas over the next 18 years.

Localism group Haslemere Vision has been leading a “Have A Say On Housing” consultation seeking views from residents and businesses on whether or not more houses should be built, which ties in with the neighbourhood planning process.

Chairman Stewart Brown said: “The additional 49 houses per annum over the Local Plan period of 18 years adds 882 homes to the target for the borough as a whole. This increase was not entirely unexpected and lies within the projections Haslemere Vision sought to accommodate within its current housing consultation.

“However, this may not be the final number in Waverley’s Local plan as WBC may find reason to propose a lower number because of the significant environmental and infrastructure constraints faced by the borough.”

Whether the projections have any implications for Haslemere will largely depend on Waverley’s decisions regarding other parts of the borough.

Mr Brown added: “Based on the allocation proposed by WBC in their September 2014 consultation, the Haslemere Vision consultation suggests 780 new homes will be allocated to the town for the period from 2013 to 2031. This may well not change significantly, not least because Waverley recognises the constraints we face.”

John Williamson, leader of the council’s Farnham Residents opposition group, told The Herald: “The number of homes quoted in the SHMA is absolutely irrelevant. No matter if it is 470 or 519, those numbers are unachievable without great swathes of greenfield sites going under concrete.”

He added: “Waverley is under Government diktat to fit a quart into a pint glass, and it is causing large fissures to form between the borough’s representatives.

“Cranleigh councillors are fighting widespread development in their area, Dunsfold representatives are fighting against housing on Dunsfold Park aerodrome and one of the reasons Farnham Residents were voted in was because people here felt dissatisfied with their representation on planning matters at Waverley.

“But we’re all in it together and I strongly believe that even the government is not strong enough to circumvent the law.”

In November, Waverley’s executive committee will be asked to endorse a “preferred spatial strategy” that will identify the borough’s proposed housing target and distribution of new homes.

This is expected to reveal for the first time how many homes Waverley is prepared to allow at Dunsfold Park, the former Second World War aerodrome and home of BBC’s Top Gear show.

In April, the council will approve the Local Plan for publication and in July the council will submit the plan for examination by a Government planning officer.