FARNHAM is set to become a "developer's paradise" thanks to Waverley Borough Council's "arrogance and incompetence".

The warning comes after the council's planning blueprint for the next 15 years failed to survive the first day of public examination.

Repeated warnings that the borough council's core strategy was not fit for purpose appeared to have been borne out last Wednesday when, at the end of the day, planning inspector Michael Hetherington cancelled the further hearings scheduled due to his serious concerns.

Planning watchdog The Farnham Society described the CS as a "spectacular" failure, likening it to "a slow motion car crash" and, along with the Lib Dems, called for the resignation of Waverley's planning portfolio holder Bryn Morgan, leader Robert Knowles, and chief executive Mary Orton.

And Waverley's UKIP opposition group also criticised the council's Conservative majority, with group leader Diane James and Farnham councillor Elliot Nichols commenting that the council's "complacency" has led to the prospect of unrestricted development across the borough.

For full story, see this week's Farnham Herald.