CONCERNS have been raised by councillors after a planning application for eight dwellings within the buffer zone of a Special Protection Area (SPA) was approved by Waverley Borough Council using advice from Natural England.

As recently reported by the Herald, permission was granted for the demolition of an office block in Upper Hale Road, which will be replaced with a new building providing eight flats and parking.

The site sits within 400 metres of the Thames Basin Heaths SPA, where building works are usually prohibited. However, to the dismay of opposition councillors, Natural England withdrew its original opposition to the application as the site entrance is further than 400 metres from the SPA.

SPAs are used to safeguard habitats of migratory birds and certain particularly threatened birds.

Mike Hyman, Farnham Residents councillor for Hale and Heath End, raised concerns during a Farnham Town Council meeting that the granted application “makes a mockery” of the Farnham Neighbourhood Plan and “possibly creates a precedent which could severely compromise the neighbourhood plan”.

Fellow Farnham Residents councillor Andy Macleod suggested that Natural England had “opened up quite a loophole”, which John Fraser, councillor for Upper Hale, later agreed with.

Mr Fraser said after the meeting that the permission involved “the exploitation of a dubious loophole in the Habitats Regulations”.

He added: “This could lead to a bizarre extreme where the prohibition zone might be entirely filled with new housing but, with access to them just outside the zone boundary, everything could be acceptable.”

In response to an enquiry made by Mr Fraser, Natural England told him that as long as the applicant complies with Waverley’s Avoidance and Mitigation Strategy for the Thames Basin Heaths SPA, there would be “no significant adverse impacts on designated sites”.