Residents’ Fears As Guildford Cathedral Announces Revision Of Plan To Build Homes On Stag Hill

Published on: 12 Jun, 2018
Updated on: 12 Jun, 2018

Residents who live close to Guildford Cathedral and who oppose its plans to build on Stag Hill are querying the number of homes cited in a revised scheme.

Guildford Cathedral has formed a partnership with Hampshire-based housing association, Vivid, and will again be seeking planning permission. The cathedral’s previous plan, in partnership with Linden Homes, was refused by Guildford Borough Council in 2017.

This aerial view shows Stag Hill with the area with a red border the land Guildford Cathedral wishes tho build homes on. Image from the Foddy Consult report published in May 2018.

The residents are concerned that, although a story on the revised plan by Get Surrey stated it will be for up to 100 homes, a report document by property consultants Foddy Consult commissioned by Guildford Cathedral and published on May 8, 2018, contains a line that states: “….the site capacity could be increased to say 134 dwellings”.

Guildford Cathedral’s director of operations, Matt O’Grady, has today (Tuesday, June 12), said: “We are quoting a figure of a minimum of 100 homes, 134 was the number in the previous scheme that was rejected by the council. This may change as we go through the process of consultation with the local residents, GBC and others.”

The cathedral’s press statement on the new proposal includes: “Vivid has significant expertise and experience in providing affordable housing as well as private residential homes and the housing association is an existing provider of affordable housing to Guildford Borough Council.

“This collaboration will enable Guildford Cathedral to engage with Guildford Borough Council and local residents to develop a sustainable mixed community on the site, and go some way to address the shortage of affordable housing in Guildford. Importantly, the scheme will also provide a financial endowment to help fund the cathedral’s long term repairs and maintenance.”

The Very Revd Dianna Gwilliams, Dean of Guildford, said, “We are delighted to have Vivid alongside us as we take the project forward. The cathedral, with Vivid, will engage with our local community and Guildford Borough Council seeking to build on all the comments and concerns expressed last year.”

Plan showing the previous proposed development on Stag Hill by Guildford Cathedral with Linden Homes.

In an email to The Guildford Dragon NEWS, residents Naomi and Richard Vary, have noted their concerns: “First, the cathedral has publicly indicated that it has teamed up with Vivid to build a ‘modest’ development of up to 100 properties.

“The cathedral indicates that lessons have been learned from the last application, and promises a proper consultation and a site which is not as bulky as the last proposal. There is no mention of details, such as whether it will be accessible from the cathedral, or whether traffic will still be routed through the narrow residential streets.

“Obviously, proper comment on any plan will have to wait until we see the plans, and take part in the consultation, but on its face a reduction from 134 to 100 properties does little to reduce the harm caused by the proposals.

“The dean talks about building a ‘community’, but a community is more than a collection of houses. Communities need schools, healthcare and other infrastructure. The previous application accepted, for example, that it would overload local schools, displacing local children into schools in other towns.

“A small reduction in the number of properties will not solve this issue. If anything, the traffic, school and congestion issues have become worse since the last application because the approval of the Guildford Park and Solum developments mean that problems caused by overburdened infrastructure in this small corner of Guildford will be even greater than previously envisaged.

“Secondly, and of more pressing concern, is the cathedral’s apparent attempt to use the inspector’s review of the Local Plan as a back door attempt to revive the planning application which was rejected in 2017?

“The cathedral did not appeal that decision, and it is very worrying to see that, by way of the May 2018 Foddy Consult document, the cathedral is lobbying the inspector to increase the site allocation to 134 properties on the basis that the Linden Homes application demonstrated how this number of properties could ‘sensitively’ be accommodated on the site.

“The Foddy Consult document relies heavily on the planning officer’s report, despite the numerous flaws in that report and the fact that the vast majority of council members voted against the planning officer’s recommendations. To present that report to the inspector (who will not have had the benefit of reviewing all of the material associated with the application) as a statement of the accepted truth runs the risk of being highly misleading.

“It is also very difficult to see how the dean’s public statements regarding the new plans for only 100 homes and a less bulky development can be reconciled with this apparent attempt to revive the previous 134-home, high-density, high-visual impact application. It would be good to hear her comments on this.

“As a final comment, we appreciate that the discussions on the Local Plan are at present focussing on whether the site allocation should be increased, but are concerned that the debate will become one of 100 properties versus 134.

“The question should instead be whether the site can and should accommodate any development and, if so, at what level, and whether the application can be properly justified when all relevant factors are considered.”

The cathedral’s press release adds: “Vivid is Hampshire’s largest provider of affordable homes with around 70,000 customers and 30,000 homes in the South East, mainly across Hampshire, Surrey and Berkshire. Vivid has around 850 staff including their own repairs team.”

Get Surrey reported that Vivid will begin consulting with residents this autumn before submitting a formal planning application.

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