Waverley Borough Council

Cllr Martin Fisher, Leader of Tandridge District Council

Housing needs assessment per annum.

Council Calculation 519

Government Target 538

Inspector demands 590

Conservative led West Surrey council with 64% Green Belt whose main towns are Godalming, Farnham and Cranleigh.

In 2013 the government inspector rejected Waverley’s Local Plan because it only included building 250 houses per annum. The District then had to completely restart its Local Plan process which made it vulnerable to speculative development. With no Local Plan the council lost control and spent over £500,000 defending 117 developer applications of which 69 were given permission on appeal including a number of sites in the Green Belt.

In 2017 Waverley sent their revised Local Plan to the Planning Inspectorate for examination based on 519 housing per annum and loss of 1% green belt with developments at Binscombe, Arons Hill and Mitford golf course totalling some 2,000 houses. The largest site at Dunsfold Aerodrome will deliver 2,600 houses although not in the Green Belt was controversial and was subject to a review by Secretary of State which was approved very recently.

The government inspector in February 2018 found the plan sound provided it increased its planned target by 14% to 590 houses per annum which is even higher than the Government target. The reason given by the Inspector was that this increase was required due to shortfall at Woking and migration from London.

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