LOCAL MP Jeremy Hunt has launched a fierce attack on the government over new planning rules that he believes will undermine greenfield protection and fuel inappropriate and damaging overdevelopment of land in Farnham. Under the government's new proposals, the role of the unelected South East of England Regional Assembly (SEERA) will be strengthened, and Mr Hunt believes that this will mean that local councils will be forced to release more land to developers depending on the level of house prices, rather than due to long-term demographic needs. The MP for South West Surrey is also concerned that the new rules, along with increased regional housing targets, will lead to more approvals being given to developers for unpopular in-fill developments. "I am very concerned that these new planning rules will mean more greenfield development in urban sprawl," he said. "John Prescott claims he wants to approve each green belt planning application. Yet under this watch, green belt protection has become worthless, being erased on a whim by unelected regional bureaucrats and being sidelined by weaker planning rules. "We need more green belts around our towns and villages to prevent overdevelopment. Yet the government is moving in the opposite direction, risking leaving a concrete scar across the face of the area. Our green spaces now face the threat of a sustained assault from John Prescott's army of bulldozers and concrete mixers," he added. Mr Hunt is particularly concerned about the proposed development of nine new houses on land at the rear of Old Compton Lane, with access off Lynch Road in Farnham. "The recent application for nine houses to be built in the Lynch Road area of Farnham is an example of where residents rightly feel concerned that the character of the town is under threat," he said. Lynch Road resident Roger Steel will be directly affected if the proposed development is approved and he explained why he is against it. "There is quite a lot of outrage among residents that this area of south Farnham is going to be spoilt by developers," he said. "The new houses will be located in the rear gardens of properties in Old Compton Lane but the access to them will go through Lynch Road. Not only will the new houses be out of character with the present ones, the average number of houses per hectare in this area will jump significantly. We simply can't cope with the increased traffic that this development will bring." This argument is supported by Chris Magee, chairman of the Abbot's Ride Residents' Association. He is concerned that even if Waverley Borough Council rejects the proposal, the government's national planning inspectors will overturn their decision. "The problem is that we don't have the infrastructure to support this development and if it gets the go-ahead then we may see a steamroller effect where similar developments take place in the area," he said. "The comments made by local people seem to be disregarded and I can see Waverley Borough Council's point of view when the faceless national planning inspectorate in Bristol overturns their decision to reject a planning proposal." Surrey county and Waverley borough councillor Pat Frost is supporting local residents in their fight against developers and has called upon Waverley to stand up to the government over its planning rules. "I have lived in Farnham for more than 30 years and I am very concerned that Farnham is losing its character," she said. "Waverley Borough Council has to do something or Farnham may become like Islington. The development in Shortheath Road is an example of how a development doesn't work. They can't sell the homes there because they aren't affordable and the same may happen in this case. We must strengthen our local planning policies so we can stand up and challenge the national planning inspectors." In response to Jeremy Hunt's comments, and in a bid to reassure Farnham residents who are concerned about planning procedures, Steve Thwaites, Waverley Borough Council's director of planning and development, said: "The document that Mr Hunt refers to does mark a significant change in policy. Waverley officers are currently liaising with other planning officers across Surrey to ensure that there is a well informed view and response to the paper as there are immense potential implications for the release of land for house building across the county and the region. "At this stage, the paper is just a proposal for the future. In the meantime, we will continue to determine planning applications, such as that for Lynch Road, using existing planning policies that will always look at each case carefully, including examining how a scheme will fit in with the character of the local area."