OPPONENTS to the development of Kings Road took centre stage at last week's 'garden grabbing' meeting, claiming Waverley Borough Council (WBC) ignore their pleas regarding overdevelopment and on-street parking. The street has been heavily developed in recent times, and with the decision looming on an application for a further three flats in the road, residents used last Thursday's meeting to have their say. However, many felt curtailed by what they saw as an "abrupt" ending, with several questions unanswered. Among the displeased was Kings Road resident Sue Walters, who compiled a 261 signature petition against the redevelopment of 17 Kings Road. "I have been told that the petition is going to be counted as one person objecting," she fumed after the meeting, "how they can justify that is unbelievable." "If the development goes ahead it is going to cause severe disruption to this road," she continued. "There are three major developments going on at once. Up the road a garage was converted into apartments and next to the church, some flats are being built. It's a complete nightmare." Miss Walters also complained at the level of parking on the street – an unfortunate by-product of its vicinity to the town's railway station. "We are getting commuters parking here all the time. Some people park on Kings Road who live just 200 metres away, as they are too lazy to walk!" "All along the road should be double yellow lines, they were taken out by mistake," she added. Miss Walters' comments echoed the thoughts of the guest speakers at the meeting, but participants were perhaps unaware as to the strength of local feeling. Local MP Jeremy Hunt joined a panel including WBC's chief executive Mary Orton, WBC councillor Pat Frost, Kathy Smyth of Friends of the Earth and Rynd Smith, head of policy and practice for the Royal Town Planning Institute. A wide-ranging debate saw discussion of garden grabbing, the provision of affordable housing, meeting central government targets, the dearth of affordable homes, average house prices, the domino effect of development on a local area and how to provide sufficient infrastructure. Mrs Orton spoke of her "interest" in planning. "The highest correspondence we receive is about planning, and it is a subject that attracts a lot of myth and conspiracy theories," she said. Mrs Orton spoke of the "trickle effect" of garden grabbing on infrastructure, remarking: "We as a planning authority do need to have enough local backing to make developers pay for infrastructure, such as the tariff system in Milton Keynes." She continued to outline the housing provision facing Waverley. "The target currently made for for the whole of the south east – which is a very large area – is 28,900 new houses a year. WBC's share of that stands at 250 per year," she explained. While there was mutual agreement that this figure "could be worse" for the borough, Mr Hunt spoke of his desire – although not necessarily the Conservative party's – to localise planning procedure. "Between 2005 and 2006 there were 167 planning applications in the Waverley area made by the Appeals Inspectorate in Bristol. That is seven per cent of all planning decisions made. But this will be high proportion of controversial decisions made by people outside the area." "The fundamental problem is a lack of local democracy and people being able to have an input into how this development happens," he said. Mrs Smyth spoke about Sturt Farm, and the need for draconian planning laws to protect similar regions from the clutches of ruthless developers. "Something has gone very wrong if they think they can put in an application for such a sensitive site. We haven't been ruthless enough about density in an urban settlement in recent years," she said. However, when the occupants of the packed room were given the chance to answer questions, many felt frustrated by the lack of a response from Mrs Orton, who "could not comment" on matters, but promised to make her officers aware of the situation. With Mrs Frost calling an end to proceedings with assurances to residents, mutterings from Kings Road residents were heard, among them: "they've been saying that for 25 years" and "where are the traffic wardens?".