THE knock-on effects of Waverley’s housing target shooting up from 519 to 590 homes a year, is made clear in papers published for an extraordinary meeting of the borough council’s executive committee, today (Tuesday).

Haslemere was allocated 830 houses in Waverley’s draft local plan, but will now need to find sites for 160 more homes. The allocation for Witley parish, which includes Milford, Brook and Wormley, has risen from 380 to 480 “to reflect the potential availability of land in light of the Green Belt Review”, and Chiddingfold’s allocation has increased from 100 to 130.

The biggest increase will be in Farnham, which has been allocated 450 more houses bringing its total to 2,780; Cranleigh, which was allocated 1,520 is now allocated 1,700; and Godalming’s allocation has also risen by 180, from 1,240 to 1,520.

Waverley was told to increase its housing target last month by local plan inspector Jonathan Bore, when he examined its draft blueprint for future development and said it did not meet the “serious problem of lack of affordable housing in the borough”.

The higher housing figure also includes Waverley taking 50 per cent of Woking’s unmet need, as Mr Bore believed it was the “least constrained” authority in the triumvirate of Woking, Guildford and Waverley.

The housing increase is one of the main modifications Waverley is making to its draft local plan. The executive is being asked to approve all the proposed changes, and the main modifications proposed is due to go out to public consultation for six weeks, from September 4

Mr Bore will need to agree the list of main modifications, however, before the consultation takes place.

In addition to the housing increase, the main modifications concern the green belt and Dunsfold Aerodrome, which eight parish councils are still fighting by calling on the minister in Whitehall to “call-in” the plans.