PLANS to replace commercial units in Haslemere with a new housing development have hit a raw nerve with local residents and town councillors. Haslemere Town Council discussed the proposal to demolish the existing commercial units at Preston House in Petworth Road - to make room for five new residential dwellings - at a planning and highways committee meeting last Thursday. This is a revised application of plans submitted last year, which were later withdrawn after the council received 11 letters of objection. Town councillors objected to this new proposal and it has been passed to Waverley Borough Council with recommendation for refusal. The town council is concerned about the knock-on effects this proposal could have on local employment as the application calls for the demolition of existing business units. Haslemere Chamber of Trade wrote to the council, also concerned about the removal of commercial premises from the centre of the town. "If this development is given the green light, it will send a clear message to existing businesses and new enterprises looking to invest in the town that our planners are more concerned with cramming large houses on small plots rather than encouraging commerce to flourish," Paul Gardner, president of the Chamber of Trade, told The Herald. The president of the Haslemere Society, Robert Serman, wrote to Waverley Borough Council regarding the effect such a development could have on the unique nature of Haslemere. "The proposed development will significantly alter the balance of the town and its ability to support start-up businesses," said Mr Serman. "The character of the town is being radically altered by the construction of housing on every site that comes available on the market. "The character of the settlement derives in large part from the variety in its buildings and the transformation of this old market town to that of a commuter dormitory must be stemmed before it is too late." This assertion is also supported by MP Jeremy Hunt who is concerned about the threat housing targets pose to local individuality. "Jeremy has got much sympathy with those concerned because giving in to some of these requests risks the creation of a downward precedent," a spokeswoman for Mr Hunt told The Herald. "The special character of Haslemere is at risk when housing targets are imposed, usually through unelected regional assemblies. "There should be an abolition of this system and with it the housing targets as there arebetter ways than waving through unpopular new developments." The revised plans have also reduced the number of dwellings from seven to five and the parking provision has been altered to allow 1.2 spaces per dwelling, consisting of one space per household and the additional use of garages for some properties. However, local residents feel that a reduction in parking provision could add fuel to the problem of congestion which already exists in the busy Petworth Road area. This was also supported by town councillors as grounds for objection. Many nearby residents are also concerned that the development would mean that their properties would be directly overlooked and that the view from their homes would be diminished. Town councillors also objected to the proposal as they feel that the plans indicate too high a density for the proposed site, which is located within Haslemere's conservation area. However, property developer, Robert Shaw Planning, feels that its location near the town could be an asset as it will provide regeneration for an existing site within the conservation area as well as allowing potential new residents to benefit from public transport links. "These dwellings have been designed to reflect the Haslemere vernacular," partner in Vail Williams, property consultants for Robert Shaw Planning, Bill Baxter wrote to the borough council. "These proposals will enhance the conservation area by removal of the existing unattractive and tired buildings and their replacement with new, well-designed residential development." Waverley Borough Council is to make a decision about this proposal by June 5.