FULL details on the sites allocated for more than 800 new homes in Haslemere have sparked concerns the town might lose its fire station.

Members of Waverley Borough Concil’s decision-making executive were given first sight of the Local Plan Part Two site allocations and development management policies in their agenda papers for last week’s meeting.

Borough councillor Robert Knowles raised ‘major safety concerns’ about the wider ramifications of the allocation of more than 30 new houses at a key town site that includes the High Street car park, and for 20 homes at Nos. 38 and 40 Petworth Road, where an appeal inspector has just rejected plans for 23 luxury retirement flats.

Mr Knowles said: “The area referred to as key site Haslemere DS07 suggests the loss of two car parks, including the largest leaving the town with virtually no off-street parking.

“The map clearly shows Haslemere Fire Station as part of the development site – without a named site within the town for a fire station this is in my opinion a reckless and dangerous proposal.

“In recent years, Surrey County Council have floated the idea of closing both Haslemere and Godalming fire stations and replacing them with one at Milford, giving easy access to the A3.

“This would leave Haslemere eight miles away from the fire station, along a narrow and windy road and that is not acceptable.

“I remember the time when Haslemere had two fire stations, one in West Street and the other in Sturt Avenue, a West Sussex fire station, and when that closed the tender moved to Haslemere and that is why Haslemere responds well into West Sussex, at places like Fernhurst, some 15 miles from Milford.

“These proposals are an open invitation to Surrey to resurrect closure plans and put the area at risk.

“Haslemere had an ambulance station, which now has eight houses on the site with the lone ambulance sitting forlornly in the hospital grounds, and members of the executive know the long ambulance response times.

“The police station has closed, indeed there is no police station in Waverley, – not even a counter anymore.

“Plans that put emergency response at risk are not acceptable and I would like to see Haslemere Fire Station removed from the plan.”

Mr Knowles also objected to the inclusion of the Petworth Road site for 20 homes after a planning inspector cited road safety concerns when dismissing a scheme for 23 luxury retirement flats on appeal.

Responding, Waverley’s planning portfolio holder Chris Storey said: “The West Street site has been in the public domain since August 2016 and it was brought forward by Haslemere Town Council.

“Although the boundary includes Haslemere Fire Station, it does not mean the fire station will necessarily be removed and redeveloped. It’s existing use will be a consideration going forwards.

“The fact that a planning inspector turned down 23 flats in Petworth Road was taken into account.

“This is a consultation document and anyone can come forward and say they disagree with that as a site.

“Many members of the public in Chiddingfold said they did not like the Green Belt being moved.

“I hope they will take part in the forthcoming consultation, too.”

Waverley’s executive approved the draft document, but there will be a delay of a month before it goes out to public consultation on May 25, due to a by-election being held in Farnham and the requirement for the council to go into “purdah” beforehand.

Residents, developers and other interested parties will be asked for their views between May 25 and July 9 on the council’s preferred options on housing, settlement boundaries, local landscape designations, and gypsy and traveller accommodation.