THE chairman of The Haslemere Society has this week expressed grave fears for the future of "one of the town's greatest assets" if a scheme to build 36 houses on the site is approved. David Smith spoke out over a planning application to build the 'key worker' houses on land behind Sturt Farm, on Sturt Road. The application has alarmed members of the society, which aims to protect and enhance the town and surrounding villages by challenging changes which could be detrimental to the area. In a letter to The Herald (see page 15) Mr Smith warned Haslemere residents the land was under "real threat" and said planning applications should not be approved if they destroyed part of what made the town special. He also promised The Haslemere Society would fight the application and encouraged residents to make their views known on Waverley Borough Council's website. Mr Smith said the current owner of the land was proposing to make it available for the construction of the houses. In his letter, Mr Smith said The Haslemere Society understood there was a case for the provision of key worker housing in the town, but argued Sturt Farm was "manifestly not the place for it". Mr Smith goes on to say: "The landowner, a property developer, has demonstrated a determination that his scheme should succeed. "The prospect of affordable housing and the achievement of government housing targets will undoubtedly appeal to some decision makers on Waverley Borough Council." Mr Smith told Haslemere residents they "should be under no illusion that this precious piece of land is under real threat". In his letter, Mr Smith said Sturt Farm was "highly visible from many parts of the town" and the proposed houses would be constructed on a "well- loved" Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), which has also been classified as Area of Great Landscape Value. Mr Smith claimed it was "not acceptable" for a property developer to "violate one of the town's greatest assets". He added: "Yes, we (The Haslemere Society) support affordable housing, but it must not be at the cost of what makes Haslemere such a special place." Waverley Borough Council this week confirmed an outline application for 36 key-worker houses on land at Sturt Farm together with associated site works and access had been submitted. Previous applications for 36 key-worker homes on the site were submitted last year and in 2005, although neither were approved. The plans have already led to a storm of protest from Haslemere residents, with more than 100 letters of objection sent to Waverley Borough Council. In a letter to Waverley, Jose Spooner, of Sun Brow, Haslemere, said she thought the scheme would be "totally out of character with the landscape". She also expressed fears over an increase in traffic on the A287 if the application was granted permission and said she was "saddened" at the "complete disregard" for the area shown by the developer. Another letter from Dr Jane Powell, of Longdene Road, said she believed the density of the housing was not in keeping with the area and expressed concerns about the impact on wildlife. Robert Monteath, of Courts Mount Road, in a letter to the borough council, said he believed the "key- worker issue is a smoke screen" and argued the land should never be built on. Haslemere Society members in May this year urged town councillors to work with them to help preserve the character of the Haslemere. John Greer, of The Haslemere Society, told a Haslemere Town Council meeting the society was committed to retaining the heritage of the town but was not against all development. Mr Greer said the society was alarmed at the apparent lack of concern for character and heritage being displayed by Waverley Borough Council when considering planning applications for the Haslemere area. He said the society wanted to see the borough council "be more forceful" in opposing some applications and said there seemed to be little sign of challenges. In August this year, The Haslemere Society withdrew its sponsorship from the Waverley Design Awards after becoming frustrated with the "remarkable lapse in standards" at the borough council. Society members were "utterly dismayed" when Waverley planning officers raised no objections to designs for 43 houses on land at Midhurst Road, Haslemere. The Waverley Design Awards are given out every two years to architects and builders for good design and to schools for designing environmental projects. The Haslemere Society had been one of the original sponsors of the project.