View of Shortland Farm with existing buildings and farmland. The site under discussion is on the Guildford Road, between Harpers Recreation Ground and Wyke Avenue. Gleeson Land public consultation website

By Emily Dalton

local democracy reporter

Big changes could be coming to Ash. Up to 200 homes could be in the pipeline for land at Shortland Farm, on Guildford Road.

No concrete plans have been announced, but the developer has submitted a screening request which outlines the potential scheme. A full planning application is expected to be submitted later down the line.

Developers Gleeson Land asked Guildford Borough Council whether the scheme needs an Environmental Impact Assessment- this is called ‘screening’- ahead of a planning application. Planning officers decided this week the assessment was not needed, clearing the way for the next stage.

The 11-hectare site, currently a mix of green fields and equestrian buildings, sitting just outside the Ash boundary near Wyke Avenue and in the green belt.

But developers argue the land is more ‘grey belt’ – due to the existing buildings – and claim the scheme would blend in with the surroundings.

If approved, the project could see all its existing structures on the site demolished to make way for a mix of market and affordable homes, mostly two-and-a-half storeys high.

Plans also includes open spaces, landscaping and a new access route via Guildford Road, along with paths and cycleways.

The proposed development site runs by a main connecting road between Ash and Normandy.

The applicant argues the land is not in a “sensitive landscape” and the site is “adjacent to the urbanising influences of the village of Ash which is itself located in close proximity to the A331”.

Sitting between existing neighbourhood streets, the applicant says the development would ‘fit in’ with the area.

Planning documents state most of the land is low-value farmland, although there are a few mature trees along the top edge which would be lost for the new road.

Planting new trees and vegetation (creating a ‘green corridor’) are noted to preserve the long-distance views and blend the new homes into the landscape.

The Ash area is already seeing major growth with two nearby developments under construction, two waiting for implementation and one complete. Villagers now face the reality of another large development on the edge of Ash.

Gleeson Land stated on its consultation website: “For the avoidance of doubt, the developer has stressed this plan has nothing to do with Taylor Wimpey’s proposals in Normandy and Flexford.”