HASLEMERE could face more traffic problems and a further drain on school places, after a hugely controversial plan to build 70 new homes on the former Oceanographic site in Wormley was approved this week.

Despite massive public opposition, Waverley's development control committee upheld a previous decision to approve the application by just two votes, at a meeting on Tuesday.

More than 20 members of the public attended, often becoming vocal in their opposition to the scheme during the lengthy debate.

The plan consists of 65 flats and five town houses, with a community business centre, parking and amenity areas, following the demolition of buildings on land at the Institute of Oceanographic Sciences in Brook Road.

Forty three letters of objection have been submitted. Witley Parish Council opposed the plan, and asked for the decision to be deferred until a public meeting could be held.

A previous application for 77 homes was refused and has since gone to appeal, to be decided by a public inquiry in July.

The 70-home plan was approved last month, by the council's central area committee, by nine to one. However, because the development was so contentious and was within the Green Belt, it was referred to development control.

Planning officer Peter Hartley introduced the proposal, which he had recommended for approval. His claim that there would be less traffic from the residential development than the previous commercial use, was met with gasps of disbelief from the public gallery.

"We calculate that the previous use generated about 1,000 traffic movements per day - 500 in, 500 out," he said.

"There would be 670 from this development, so potential traffic movements would be substantially less." The audience laughed in derision.

Witley councillor Christine Craig was the one member of the central committee who voted against the application. Her main concerns were traffic, a lack of local infrastructure and how these would affect the surrounding area, including Haslemere.

"Brook Road originated as a cart track, it's a narrow and winding road," she said. "There's a blind exit on to Brook Road, traffic whizzes through and there have been numerous accidents."

Mrs Craig said the road was extremely narrow in places with several stretches where two cars can't get through. She was highly critical of the planning officers' traffic report.

"It completely ignores the fact that residential traffic is different from commercial; it's unpredictable."

Mr Hartley's report claimed that 90 to 95 per cent of vehicles would access the site from the A283 side. Only five per cent would use Brook Road.

Danny Denningberg asked how the officers knew, prior to the houses being built, where the traffic would come from.

"We have no idea who's going to buy them or rent them, they could work in any direction, shop in any direction.".

Ann Mugford supported Mrs Craig's views. "Combe Lane and Prestwick Lane are a nightmare, there will be many an accident there if this goes ahead. It's very urban, it's simply totally wrong on that location."

Lack of infrastructure was another major concern. "Witley school is full," Mrs Craig said. "The developers have made a contribution of £40,000 for education, presumably to facilitate extra places, but that's not very much.

"And if Witley surgery is full, I don't see how it can absorb all those extra people."

David Inman said that although he had concerns about the traffic, the committee should follow the advice of their planning officers.

"If that were always the case, there's not much point of having a committee," Celia Savage replied, to another round of applause from the gallery.

Members voted eight to six in favour of the application.