What Ash Wants – Village’s Neighbourhood Plan Goes Out for Consultation

Published on: 13 Jun, 2025
Updated on: 15 Jun, 2025

Ash Green – one of the local communities resisting further housing development

By David Reading

The future of Ash over the next 20 years is being mapped out in a detailed Neighbourhood Plan for the area, covering all-important matters such as future housing development and protection of open spaces and wildlife areas.

The Ash Neighbourhood Plan (ANP) aims to give the local community a stronger voice in shaping the area’s future.

It has been drawn up during the past year by Ash Parish Council and will go out to formal public consultation on Monday (June 16).

The committee that drew up the ANP, chaired by Cllr Michael Moriarty, has focused on the following objectives:

• To resist further greenfield development
• To retain and enhance the individual identify of each settlement in the parish and prevent coalescence between Ash Green and Ash
• To protect and enhance the natural environment
• To increase the number of commuting trips by rail, bus, cycling and walking
• To increase the capacity of social infrastructure, protect local facilities, promote local employment opportunities, shops and services
• To increase the health and wellbeing of residents through provision of more recreational activities and making it easier to get around the parish on foot and by cycle

The ANP supports the provision of new affordable homes to serve the needs of local people, in particular young people, when future development is approved. With the environment in mind, there is also a focus on “zero carbon ready properties”

Referring specifically to Ash Green, the ANP emphasises the village’s rural character and seeks to prevent the coalescence of Ash, Tongham and Ash Green. The document says this must include the provision of a green buffer that maintains separation between Ash Green and the nearby settlements.

Cllr Michael Moriarty

Cllr Moriarty said: “After the past few years of reckless development around Ash, this Neighbourhood Plan looks to ensure that our natural environment and open spaces are protected and enhanced, local community assets are strengthened and active travel opportunities are improved for the benefits of the residents that live here now, and those who join us in the future in Ash Vale, Ash and Ash Green.”

However, even before the consultation period has begun, some concern has been raised about the protection from development that the Plan offers to Ash Green.

The concern was raised by Ray Rogers, secretary of the Ash Green Residents Association (AGRA), during public question time at the parish council’s June meeting.

Mr Rogers said AGRA was eager to ensure that a buffer is retained between Ash Green and Ash in order to prevent coalescence between the two settlements. Mr Rogers said AGRA was disturbed to learn that officials at Guildford Borough Council had insisted that part of the buffer described in the Ash Neighbourhood  Plan should be reduced – removing the piece of land between Briar’s Playground, off South Lane, and Foreman Road.

Although GBC acknowledges that a buffer between Ash Green and Ash has to exist, that particular piece of land is earmarked in the Guildford Local Plan for possible future development.

Cllr Sue Wyeth-Price, newly elected on to Ash Parish Council, also stressed strongly the importance of the green buffer between Ash Green and Ash.

However there was a general acknowledgement among parish councillors that  there is a hierarchy – and the Ash Neighbourhood Plan cannot override what is in the Guildford Local Plan. GBC’s request had to be adhered to.

Cllr Fiona White

The chair, Cllr Fiona White, said: “The important thing is to have a workable Neighbourhood Plan in place. If that means we have to give way to some extent in order to get the whole thing through, that is a priority. It’s looking at what we are trying to achieve overall that is most important.”

She pointed out that this was a consultation document, and there was plenty of opportunity for residents who disagree with any aspect to make their objections known.

The council agreed that the ANP should be put out for consultation in the revised form taking into account GBC’s amendment.

Afterwards Cllr Wyeth-Price commented: “Whilst I accept that the Neighbourhood Plan cannot override the GBC Local Plan, defining the buffer (‘the Local Gap’) will actually strengthen the aims of GBC’s Policy A31 in preventing coalescence and maintaining the rural character of Ash Green.

Newly-elected Cllr Sue Wyeth-Price

“The GBC suggestion would allow for houses along almost all of both sides of Foreman Road, the narrow lane which connects Ash with Ash Green. It provides for a gap that is only 50 meters along the road. This would not provide for both the physical and visual separation required in the Local Plan, and would obviously detract from the rural character of Ash Green Village as defined in the local plan.”

Cllr Moriarty has pointed out that the ‘Local Gap’ status still exists around the majority of the Ash Manor House site.

The parish council has urged residents to take part in the consultation. The Plan will be available on the council website from Monday (June 16).

All comments received will be reviewed and, where appropriate, incorporated into the Plan, and the final version will be submitted to Guildford Borough Council in the autumn.

A further formal six-week consultation will follow, and the Plan will then be passed to an independent examiner.

Following examination, a referendum will be arranged for local people to vote on the Plan’s adoption in the spring of next year. Once approved by simple majority it will be “made” and adopted by GBC as part of the Development Plan.

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