Lib Dem activists staged a protest at Farnham’s derelict Woolmead development site on Saturday – demanding the government take action against developers sitting on undeveloped brownfield sites.

Protesters held placards asking the government to ‘MAKE DEVELOPERS BUILD HERE’ outside the demolished Woolmead site at The Borough traffic lights.

The prime town centre site has become an overgrown blight since Berkeley Homes cleared it to prepare to build 138 homes in 2018.

Lib Dem campaigners, including Castle Ward by-election candidate Theresa Meredith-Hardy, gathered to draw attention to the “flawed” planning system.

They said this allows developers to leave a site with planning permission empty once they have made a ‘material start’ to construction, “for as long as they want whilst there is a local and national shortage of housing”.

A material start can constitute anything from digging a small service trench to demolishing buildings, as was the case at the Woolmead.

Ms Meredith-Hardy, who is standing for election to Waverley Borough Council on April 18 after the resignation of Farnham Residents’ councillor Heather McLean, said: “This site, right in the middle of Castle Ward, shows the problem.

“Because of this empty site – with planning permission not being used – which is also the case with the large site at Dunsfold aerodrome, developers are allowed to apply for and win planning permission on greenfield sites in Farnham which aren’t in Local Plans.

“Waverley is powerless to do anything. Liberal Democrats would charge council tax on the houses that haven’t been built to put financial pressure on developers to build on sites like this.”

She added many people stopped “to wish us luck and to agree with our protest.”

The University for the Creative Arts is still in discussion with Berkeley Homes and local councils with a view to constructing desperately needed student accommodation at the Woolmead.

A UCA spokesperson said: “We are keen to see the completion of any development at the Woolmead site as it will benefit the University and the Farnham community as a whole.

“UCA is a key employer in the town with staff living nearby, and with many students looking for accommodation each year, we welcome any opportunities to discuss both the future of the site and to feed into longer-term plans about local housing for both residents and students so Farnham continues to thrive.”