Letter: Chickens Have Come Home to Roost on Housing Numbers

Published on: 28 Sep, 2018
Updated on: 28 Sep, 2018

From Colin Cross

Lib Dem borough councillor for Lovelace

In response to: Revised Population Forecast Leads to Calls for Review of Local Plan Housing Numbers

So the chickens have finally come home to roost on the longstanding argument about Guildford’s true housing needs as against what our Tory-led council would have us believe.

They can and will, no doubt, continue their obfuscation, ducking behind the
Hearn miscalculations and claiming these new findings are not applicable to Guildford.

But the Guildford Residents Association/Neil MacDonald and Ben Paton etc, have been right all along it seems.

The sensible plan now would be to maintain the early increase in building growth that the inspector wants in the first five years, as a lot of that is generic growth in more urban areas of the borough.

Where the fundamental redirection can then come is to shy away from the planned rape of our green belt heritage and look to save the strategically vital sites at the former Wisley Airfield and Blackwell Farm.

The new findings would wholly support such a welcome change in direction and Guildford would not risk being the latest addition to London’s urban sprawl.

But will such common sense prevail?

Responses to Letter: Chickens Have Come Home to Roost on Housing Numbers

Jim Allen Reply

September 28, 2018 at 7:55 pm

Why does everyone commenting on the strategic sites avoid mentioning Gosden Hill? It’s just as important as the other sites.

Don’t forget, currently, the plan will shut off the north exit to Guildford from the A3.
Michael Aaronson Reply

September 28, 2018 at 10:31 pm

Cllr Cross is right to point to the major flaw in Guildford’s Local Plan: an overall housing number that, as is now confirmed, bears little relation to actual need.

However, if the green belt is to be protected the new sites introduced in the latest version of the Local Plan to boost early delivery must also be removed, as they are all in the green belt too, like the big strategic sites that he mentions.

Far from being “in more urban areas of the borough” their inclusion also contributes to the “planned rape of our green belt heritage” that Cllr Cross rightly deplores.

Why does Guildford Borough Council persist in doing something that is clearly unnecessary and which will cause lasting damage to our environment?