Blackwell Farm – Don’t Throw Away Our Trump Card

Published on: 25 Mar, 2024
Updated on: 25 Mar, 2024

From: Gavin Morgan

See: previous articles on Blackwell Farm Ransom Strip here

Rightly or wrongly this whole proposal for an option agreement on a ransom strip at Blackwell Farm makes our borough council look weak.

Blackwell Farm is one of the strategic sites earmarked for housing in the Guildford Local Plan; it’s a done deal and we need housing.

However, we know from the Solum development at the station, Debenhams and North Street that developers play a strong hand and take no prisoners. We also know from other housing developments that they can backtrack on promises for infrastructure and numbers of affordable homes.

An “option” is not a done deal but developers can force the council’s hand in many ways. The town should not give away any more than it has to until it has a firm contract that the development will be good for Guildford as well as the developers and landowners.

The council must not throw away trump cards.