WAVERLEY planning officers are recommending plans to build a block of five flats near the centre of Haslemere are given the go-ahead despite a storm of protest from residents. The scheme to build flats on the corner Hill Road and Park Road has already caused residents from both roads to express grave fears over the size and design of the proposed building. If the proposals are approved the house currently on the site, known as Glengariff, will be torn down to make way for the five flats, three with two bedrooms and two with three bedrooms and parking for eight cars. Angry Haslemere residents have submitted 36 letters of objection over the amended application to Waverley Borough Council but officers are urging borough councillors to approve the scheme. Earlier this month James Rapp, of Park Road, told The Herald he and other residents in the area "still have major concerns, indeed, some adverse features have merely been transferred from one part of the building to another". He added: "Most importantly, the building is still too massive for this prominent corner plot - caused in the main by the huge roof and the way it overhangs well beyond the approved footprint". Mr Rapp objects to the application for a number of reasons including the excessive mass and height of the development "on such a prominent corner plot". Although he accepted the amended plans would provide a "small reduction in height", he added the "proposed building remains overly dominant and out of keeping in the street scene, principally due to its massive roof". The plans have also been objected to by The Haslemere Local Survey Group, on the grounds of "unsatisfactory design". In a letter to Waverley Borough Council the group say "we deeply regret that we were unaware permission was given to demolish Glengariff while we were researching the history of Hill Road...and we request that planning and conservation officers take steps to prevent any further deterioration in the character of this historic environment". But the applicants argue the latest proposals for the site have taken account of previous comments from planning officers and inspectors and have reduced the roof of the elevation fronting Hill Road. In a letter to Waverley Borough Council the applicants claim "careful consideration has been given to the design of the building to ensure that it reflects the local vernacular and to ensure that no harm arises to the residential amenity". Developers have been trying to gain outline planning permission for the site over the last four years. After an outline planning permission was been granted, the land was sold to developer Premier Properties Ltd. Last September a government planning inspector recommended development on the site should be kept in harmony with all neighbouring buildings. He said: "I would expect this (detailed plan) to be significantly different in design from the proposals shown on the illustrative drawings, if they are to comply with local planning policies and national guidance." The latest Hill Road application is due to be decided by Waverley Borough Council's Development Management Committee on Wednesday June 27.
