Peaceful Protest Planned Over Council Bid to Adopt Local Plan

Published on: 18 Apr, 2019
Updated on: 24 Apr, 2019

The last march to the council offices, in November 2013, was also on the subject of the Local Plan.

A peaceful protest against the planned swift adoption of the Local Plan is set for the full GBC meeting on Thursday, April 25, just days before the borough election on May 2.

The demonstrators intend to gather at Millmead and occupy the spectator seating in the council chamber to register disapproval of what they see as an attempt to force through the adoption of the Local Plan.

Five groups have combined to register their protest to a “misconceived” Plan. The organisations are the Guildford branch of the Campaign for Rural England, the Wisley Action Group, the Save Hogs Back group, the Guildford Greenbelt Group and the Residents for Guildford & Villages (R4GV).

Their objections are:

Inflated housing target The proposed target of 562 dwellings per annum represents an uplift of 80% over the housing need of 313 dwellings per annum led by population change alone. This is because the demographically led need is boosted by factors to allow for economic growth and growth in student numbers. Students need more halls of residence, preferably on campus, not more housing.

The council offices at Millmead will be the destination of the marchers.

Over-supply of land for development The total site allocations in the Plan have the potential to deliver 14,602 homes over its 15-year life. The total housing requirement is only 10,678 homes in that timeframe, which means the Plan is capable of providing 4,000 more homes than are actually required. They question whether there are sufficient “exceptional circumstances” to justify the release of so much land from the green belt, because. 4,000 homes are equivalent to more than two of the major strategic sites in the green belt.

Lack of infrastructure There is insufficient infrastructure in the Plan to support future growth, let alone alleviate the present traffic congestion in the town centre. Highways England have, as yet, no programmed or funded improvements to increase the width of the A3 from two lanes to three lanes as it passes through Guildford, although the A3 is among the most congested A-roads in the UK. Nor is there provision in the Plan to ensure the infrastructure associated with each of the four main strategic sites is in place before any development.

Lack of a master plan for the town centre The council has yet to commission and adopt a formal master plan for the town centre to alleviate traffic congestion, divert through-traffic from the town centre, co-ordinate and integrate public transport and co-ordinate future urban regeneration projects while opening up the town to the riverside.

No policies to ensure brownfield sites are developed in priority to the greenbelt There is nothing in the Local Plan to ensure urban sites are developed in preference to sites within the green belt. At present, the vast North Street Development site, which has the potential to deliver many new homes, may remain derelict while development progresses on sites within the green belt.