CAMPAIGNERS have protested about boundary changes proposed in Waverley Borough Council’s (WBC) Local Plan part two that will make it easier to build 50 houses in an area of outstanding natural beauty (AONB).
More than 150 residents living in Scotland Lane and surrounding roads copied Haslemere MP Jeremy Hunt, the new Foreign Secretary, and Environment Secretary Michael Gove, into letters of objection to the allocation of 50 houses on land at Red Court Estate, sent to Waverley as part of the consultation that closed on July 9.
Objectors have now banded together to form the Haslemere South Residents Association (HSRA)in order to battle WBC proposals which they claim, linked with WBC’s planning consent for 135 houses at Sturt Farm, “would remove the equivalent of 125 acres up to Tennyson’s Lane.”
Scotland Lane residents turned out in force at Haslemere Town Council’s planning committee meeting, urging members to do more to object to the allocation of estate land, which has just been bought by a developer, for 50 of the 700 new homes Waverley aims to build in the town by 2032.
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Members of both Scotland Lane Residents Association (SCRA) and Haslemere South Residents Association packed into the full council meeting, two weeks ago, where there was standing room only, for a formal presentation of their objections by SCRA chairman Howard Brown.
Urging the town council to ‘protect our green spaces,’ Mr Brown said Waverley should look at alternative sites and suggested land it owns between the A3 and The Edge, leisure centre would be more suitable.
Mr Brown objected that Scotland Lane could not support the increased traffic, as it was mainly restricted to single lane width and had a dangerous access.
He called for a full traffic survey to be conducted by Surrey County Council, as well as a public consultation on the whole scheme.
“Allowing further destruction of further AONB and an area of great landscape value (AGLV) should be rejected as this further allows erosion of the natural environment of Haslemere,” he said. “AGLV land linked with the Sturt Farm development would remove the equivalent of 125 acres as the land in between would-be a narrow peninsular destroying any green habitat up to Tennyson’s Lane.
“We object to the allocation under the environmental impact assessment (EIA) as unsuitable.
“The Red Court DS18 proposal was inserted into the Local Plan part two at the request of the developers, and had no prior consultation of the EIA or any public consultation.
“We object to DS18 on the grounds of the destruction of nature.
“The DS18 area is unsuitable for development as it is AONB boundary land, with DS18 alone having seven acres of dense trees and coppice.
“Forty tonnes of trees have already been controversially removed from the Red Court Estate, causing a Forestry Commission inspection. Once further trees are removed the lungs of Haslemere will be irrevocably destroyed.
“We object to DS18 as Japanese knotweed is dominant in the whole area.
“This virulent weed is visible from Scotlands Lane and although attempted clearance by Waverley and the Red Court owners was undertaken, has returned with vigour and is creeping towards the Scotland Lane verge area again.”
Both SCRA and HSRA have copied Mr Hunt and Mr Gove into their letters of objections to Waverley’s Local Plan part two.
Writing on behalf of HSRA’s 158 members, chairman Chris Wright echoed Mr Brown’s objections and urged the borough council to meet its housing target for Haslemere by building on more sustainable sites, such as land it owns between the A3 road and the Edge leisure centre, which would “allow access on to the major arterial roads, so not impacting the Haslemere town centre so badly with excess traffic”.
Mr Wright also protested there had been a lack of consultation on DS18 and no EIA carried out..
“It is stated Waverley Borough Council is seeking to direct development outside areas of AONB where limited development can be accommodated without significant landscape impact.
“The proposed 50 houses does not meet this criteria,” he said. “It states Waverley Borough Council will retain and enhance mature trees and other landscape features wherever possible.
“We are already witnessing considerable felling in the DS18 area, which we are concerned is destroying the unique habitat on the site – including rare and potentially protected species.
“This habitat protects deer, nesting owls, nesting bats, nesting nightingale, returning migratory woodlark, sparrow hawks, redpoll, smooth snakes, plus countless annual visitors such as cuckoo, woodpeckers and squirrels.
“An ornithologist inspection in May stated there were nesting nightingales and linnets.”
Following Mr Brown’s presentation at the town council meeting, which received a ringing round of applause, town mayor and chairman David Round said: “Sadly we can’t have a debate about this, but your comments have been taken on board.
“Haslemere Town Council is a consultee of the Local Plan part two and so are you. Probably, many objections will carry more weight than an individual objection.
“The town council sent in its feedback to the consultation by July 9 and said it wanted that to be followed up.”
“The council has responded to the DS18 Red Court proposal to say that while it agrees in principle to the development of the site, there are grave concerns about access and highway safety in the area,” Mr Round added.