Letter: Last Minute Change Takes Send Back To Square One on House Numbers

Published on: 19 May, 2016
Updated on: 19 May, 2016

From Linda Parker-Picken

Send residents are seething after a volte face by GBC on planned housing numbers for the parish in the latest draft of the Local Plan.

We were among the most vocal groups back in 2014, expressing strong opposition to what we considered to be a disproportionate expansion in Send, Send Marsh and Burnt Common. The planned increase of houses was projected to increase the area’s population by 25 per cent.

Then leader of Guildford Borough Council (GBC), Stephen Mansbridge, said he was “very sympathetic to residents’ views from Send”; but that a motion opposing our petition to reduce our site allocations was being carried due to a technical issue, i.e. that it was not appropriate to remove any proposals until the responses had all been analysed.

The draft which was recently modified by GBC’s Executive Advisory Board (EAB), and then sent to the Executive for approval, contained site allocations in Send parish with a total of only 185 houses, some light industrial and warehousing and two Traveller pitches (the latter on a site which did not appear in the 2014 draft).

It therefore appeared that consideration of the analysis of our numerous responses had led to a rethink; and there were sighs of relief all round at this reduction in the planned expansion in Send.

Imagine then our stupefaction when we became aware of a supplementary sheet tabled at the GBC Executive on Wednesday (May 15). This substitutes for site A43 with 100 houses and light industrial at Burnt Common an alternative site with 400 houses and light industrial on a larger adjacent site (partly in Send and partly in Lovelace/ Ripley).

So we are back to square one with a new total of 485 houses proposed actually in our parish or on our doorstep. Add to that the neighbouring Wisley and Gosden Hill sites and a very large proportion of the total planned housing in the Local Plan will be in or in spitting distance of Send with all the concomitant issues of over congested roads, medical facilities, schools and so on.

In addition, Send is being inset from the green belt which removes all protection from further large areas to be potential development sites.

The fact, that there are outline plans for on/ off access to the A3 from the new Burnt Common site and that land for this has been gifted by the potential developer is evidence that it has been under discussion for some time.

Of some comfort is the fact that our county councillor Keith Taylor has told us that this scheme is aspirational only and would cost some £15m to £20m (of which only a small portion has been offered by the potential site developers) and would need agreement from both Highways England and Surrey County Council.

The more cynical among us could be forgiven for feeling that introducing this site at the 11th hour is a deliberate attempt to catch Send unawares and allow little time for reaction before the full GBC meeting on May 24 which will agree a final draft.

Be assured that individual residents, many of whom are members of the Save Send Action Group, will be vociferous in their opposition to the new site going forward into the Local Plan, as finally approved.

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