OUTLINE plans for 1,800 new homes at Dunsfold Aerodrome to meet today’s “increased housing need” can now be viewed and responded to on Waverley Borough Council’s website.

The sheer scale of the application, which includes a design and access statement running to 150 pages within 129 supporting documents, triggered immediate protests that imposing a deadline for reponsose of Friday, February 5, was “far too soon”.

When Alfold parish councillor Betty Ames used the informal questions slot before Tuesday night’s executive meeting to object – noting Waverley’s decision target date was March 18, council leader Robert Knowles responded that the borough council had set itself an “impossible deadline” too.

He said: “The 16-week period ends on April 17. Due to the complexity of the application, it is unlikely to come to committee until June.”

Described in the application as “a new Surrey Village” and the first planned to be built in the county for “more than a century”, the scheme includes shopping and health centres, a primary school, plus a new link road to the A281 and bus services to Cranleigh, Guildford and Horsham.

Building 1,800 new homes at the airfield is the smallest scenario suggested by Waverley in its 2014 Local Plan consultation, which also suggested 2,600 or 3,400 new homes could be built there to ease the pressure to build on greenfield sites in order to meet bigger government housing targets.

Dunsfold Park, which had an application turned down in 2009, has stated it is ready to build “thousands” more.

The supporting design and access statement said:“ “Waverley has identified its housing requirement is about double what it was in 2009 (now estimated to be at least 519 a year, compared to 250 in 2009) and that land around existing settlements is no longer sufficient to meet that demand.

“During consultation on Waverley’s new Local Plan in 2014, the vast majority of respondents supported development at Dunsfold Park, recognising that developing greenfield land around existing settlements is neither welcomed – nor can it meet today’s increased housing need.”

As Waverley opens up the consultation on one of the largest applications it has ever dealt with, news broke that the borough council’s head of planning, Matthew Evans, is leaving to take up a new job in Basingstoke, in March.

The news deepened concerns already voiced that Waverley will be unable to meet its draft April deadline for approving its new Local Plan for publication prior to submission in July – making the borough a free-for-all for speculative developers for longer.

• Farnham Residents opposition group leader, councillor John Williamson said: “It would be dreadful if Waverley use this as an excuse for the Local Plan process being delayed, giving losing key staff as the reason why.

“I think the Local Plan is going to fail anyway and is going to be late.

“Waverley is still waiting for key evidence that is not ready.”

Waverley Lib Dems chairman Stewart Edge said: “Waverley’s Conservative administration have failed over eight years to produce a valid Local Plan, and as a direct result developers are submitting unplanned speculative greenfield applications for housing across the borough and in Farnham and Cranleigh in particular.

“Matthew Evans’ resignation will make it even more difficult for Waverley to publish their latest attempt at a plan in April 2016. Their record is dreadful: after the failure of the previous plan in 2013, Waverley Executive first scheduled to have this done by November 2014. In March 2015 they asked for tenders for a crucial transport assessment to be completed in May / Jun 2015, which has still not been published.”

In respone to the criticism, Mr Knowles said: “Officers and members are working together to implement the new Local Plan and in December 2015 Council agreed the Emerging Spatial Strategy.

“The plan is progressing in line with the published timetable.

“The departure of the head of service does not affect the timetable.

“Matthew Evans has done a very good job during his six years at Waverley and the planning service performs very well. We wish him every success in his new role.

“The recruitment process has started and we will be looking to fill the position as quickly as the process allows.”

• To view the outline application go to the planning section at www.waverley. gov.uk and search for WA/2015/2395.