HASLEMERE Town Council has pledged to support residents in their fight against developers who want to build more homes in the town. Three sets of neighbours spoke up at a planning meeting last week, when councillors met to consider applications due to be considered by Waverley Borough Council. Councillors backed their objections to three sites: l Land at Glengariff, 27 Hill Road, where developers want to demolish a house and build five two bed roomed flats; l 27 Lion Lane, where there are plans to build two new three- bedroom houses on a green area where there had been an extension; l 34 Kings Road, where developers want to build 12 flats following the demolition of a house. James Rapp, who spoke for people living near the Hill Road site, asked for town council backing in resisting the development. Mr Rapp said he had been leading a campaign on behalf of neighbours, for six years, over a series of applications for the site. The latest design, despite being modified after a planning inquiry last year, was still inappropriate for the area. He said: "The scale, bulk and height off the building would stand out particularly in comparison with the house next door." The architects had altered the roof line, and reduced the number of dormer windows, but the two-and-a-half storey building was still 1.2 metres higher than the current house. Mr Rapp added: "Try as they may to make it look better on the outside, it is too bulky and messy on this corner plot." Over the Lion Lane proposal – 25 residents have so far protested, out of the 32 neighbours notified about the plans – to add two terraced houses to Hope Terrace. Oliver Smith spoke out for residents in Lion Lane, and the adjacent Lion Close, at the meeting, saying this was a revised plan that did nothing to address objections raised previously. Added to this, now there were only three car parking spaces, where the original had five. Among the objections were increased traffic and parking in the lane, more safety fears for pedestrians and children at nearby Shottermill Infant and Junior schools and a lack of privacy for neighbours. There were also worries over how long-standing rights of way at the back of adjoining properties would be affected. He added: "Two new houses would be massively overbearing because of the rise of the road. It would be absolutely ridiculous to have two houses on this terrace without ruining the street scene." Chairman Michael Foster agreed to back the objectors on grounds of overdevelopment, an increase in the number of cars parked, safety of children at the two schools, the adverse effect on amenity of neighbours and because it would be out of character with nearby properties. Clare Hollis also won the backing of councillors when she spoke on behalf of residents objecting to the Kings Road site. So far 28 of 32 residents notified of the plan have objected. She said it was the third time developers had tried to put in a plan for the site and the road already had too many flats built in the last few years. "The amount of growth cannot be sustained. When and where will this type of development stop. Will all the houses in Kings Road be bought up and then developed?" Councillor James Mackie agreed: "Development has been intense and excessive in this area over the last four years." Councillor Peter Isherwood added the flats would be out of character, have no amenity space, there would be parking and traffic problems and a proposed culvert of a stream would add to previous flooding problems. He said: "This is another reason for saying enough is enough."