SOUTH West Surrey MP Jeremy Hunt has criticised the government over the latest figures it has published which claim "brownfield" sites could accommodate up to one million new homes nationally. The MP, who is spearheading rallies against overdevelopment in Farnham and Haslemere on Saturday, September 30, claims the government is failing to inform people of what actually constitutes a brownfield site. He said that it is not being made clear to people that gardens belonging to private homes are also classified in this category. "I am really concerned about the fact that this government believes there is enough brownfield land in the South East to accommodate more than 400,000 new homes. "Quite clearly, given this statistic, they must be including private gardens in their figures, which will do nothing more than encourage more garden grabbing." The latest statistics published by the Department for Communities and Local government said that 74 per cent of all new developments are currently built on brownfield land, up from 56 per cent in 1997. Mr Hunt claimed: "The government's draft planning policy on housing actually encourages local authorities to include brownfield land in its long-term strategic planning. "I am not against brownfield sites, such as derelict land, being utilised in development – in fact I would actively encourage this. However, what I do not encourage is the development of private gardens in a way that threatens the character of an area." He believes both the government and Waverley need to take responsibility for the problem of garden-grabbing as soon as possible and he would also like Waverley to reduce the threshold at which developers have to include affordable housing in their plans from 15 to five dwellings. He said: "Overdevelopment is plaguing our area and threatens to spoil the character of Godalming, Farnham and Haslemere. With the government clearly trying to encourage it, it is up to Waverley now and they need to be much tougher." He hopes local residents will turn out and show their support for his campaign on September 30, through marches starting at 1- 30 pm at Lion Green, Haslemere, and 4-30 pm at Gostrey Meadow, Farnham.
