PLANNING permission has been granted for 21 affordable homes at the former Dairy Crest depot in Weydon Lane.

The scheme, as proposed by Thames Valley Housing Association in partnership with Waverley Borough Council, was initially thrown out last July after councillors deemed its impact on neighbouring homes would be unacceptable.

However, the council’s western planning committee reversed this decision on Wednesday last week after a number of amendments including the replacement of two two-storey homes at the rear of the site with bungalows.

In total, the Thames Valley Housing development will provide a block of nine flats on the old Dairy Crest staff car park to the north of Weydon Lane as well as 12 houses ranging from two to four-bedrooms on the depot site to the south.

They will be sold at a reduced market rate and built following the demolition of the existing dairy buildings, which have not been used since 2003.

Welcoming the revised scheme, Christopher Storey said: “We liked this proposal when it came before. It provides a number of affordable housing, is a housing association development and is on a piece of redundant brownfield land which is going to be re-used in an appropriate way.

“The only sticking point previously was the overlooking of a couple of houses in Chestnut Avenue and this meets that without any problems and we should support this wholeheartedly.”

Councillors voted unanimously in favour of the development, subject to Thames Valley Housing completing a legal agreement to provide exclusively affordable housing.