DESPITE concerns over parking provision, outline planning permission for five new flats to be built in Hill Road, Haslemere looks set to be granted by Waverley Borough Council.

The application for the erection of five new flats in one building on land at 27 Hill Road is a revision of a previous proposal for four flats to be constructed. This was granted outline consent on appeal last year.

The current proposal is subject to public speaking at a borough council southern area development control sub-committee meeting on Wednesday at Godalming council offices. The amendment does not change the footprint of the proposed building, only the arrangement of internal accommodation. It would now provide one three-bedroom and one two-bedroom flats on the ground floor and first floor and a two-bedroom flat on the second floor with roof space.

Parking for eight cars would be included with access from Hill Road.

As previously reported by The Herald, Haslemere Town Council was concerned this development would bring increased traffic and congestion to an area which is already at breaking point.

Therefore they passed the proposal on to the borough council with no objection, subject to the inclusion of at least two more parking spaces on the site.

This has been taken into consideration in the report to the committee.

"The current scheme provides eight spaces for five dwellings, representing 1.5 spaces per dwelling," the report says.

"However ... the applicant has agreed to provide extra spaces on site and officers exceptionally accept the higher level of parking.

"As this is an outline application with all matters reserved this should be the subject of a condition requiring two spaces per unit."

Local residents have also noted concern about this proposal with 11 letters of objection being sent to the council. A main contention has been about the risk of overdevelopment and the proposal being out of character with the area, the report to the committee outlines.

However, the report continues "advice is that the best use should be made of urban land and ... encourages densities of between 30 and 50 dph. (dwellings per hectare)

"The proposed density of 45 dph is therefore considered acceptable in this location.

"The proposed mix of dwellings is also acceptable in that over 50 per cent of dwellings are two bedroomed and none of the dwellings exceed three bedrooms.

"Having regard to the fact that the shape and form of the proposed building is the same as that shown on the appeal drawings it is considered that the proposed additional unit can be satisfactorily accommodated on site."

As this application is currently only for outline consent, matters such as neighbour amenity, effect on neighbours' privacy, building design, location of windows and other openings are all to be addressed at the detailed stage.

The application has been recommended for outline permission to be granted subject to the conditions set out in the report.

The conditions include that vehicular access to the site be approved by the local planning authority and an accepted landscaping plan being incorporated into the site.