THE fate of three green fields either side of Waverley Lane, and many more in the Farnham area, lie in the hands of the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government this week after the culmination of a landmark appeal hearing at Waverley Borough Council.

Protestors again packed the public gallery at Waverley’s offices in Godalming last Tuesday as a public inquiry to decide if up to 157 houses can be built on “verdant, open countryside” at Waverley Lane, known locally as Compton Fields, reconvened after a two-month adjournment.

Wates Developments Ltd went to appeal after Waverley rejected the scheme on the grounds the harmful impact on the landscape outweighed the benefits of extra housing - backing the 1,192 people who objected to the proposed development.

During the adjournment it also transpired that the appeal has been called-in by communities secretary Sajid Javid, meaning the government inspector chairing the inquiry, David Rose, will now merely prepare a report and recommendation for Mr Javid, whose decision is expected to hinge largely on the weight given to the emerging Farnham Neighbourhood Plan.

The neighbourhood plan, setting out how the Farnham community wants to see their town develop over the next 16 years, excludes the land at Waverley Lane for housing on the grounds that “the treed boundaries to Waverley Lane provide a verdant entrance to the town and are likely to be adversely affected by development”.

However, as the local policy document - dubbed the “most important thing to happen in Farnham for generations” by town mayor John Ward - is not expected to be adopted until later this year, in a true test of the Localism Act, Mr Javid must decide whether to base his final decision on the Farnham plan or the more lenient National Planning Policy Framework.

Whatever he decides, this will have significant ramifications for a raft of speculative developments in the Farnham area on sites also excluded in the emerging Neighbourhood Plan and Waverley’s own Local Plan - including pending applications for 64 homes at Green Lane Farm, Badshot Lea; 102 homes in Folly Hill; and 130 homes in Frensham Vale.

Also crucial to the fate of Compton Fields - and other vulnerable greenfield sites across the borough - is whether the Secretary of State accepts Waverley’s claim that it has now identified a five-year supply of land to meet the demand for housing in the borough.

In written representations to the inspector during the adjournment, the borough council explained that it updated its Five-Year Housing Supply Statement on July 1, on the back of the submission of its own draft Local Plan, with the addition of “several strategic [greenfield] sites not previously identified” - most notably Dunsfold Park.

This, Waverley claims, has enabled the council to exceed its five-year housing land supply target set by the government, and therefore reduces the pressure to consent to housing on less desirable sites such as Compton Fields.

Wates has disputed Waverley’s claim, however, commenting that “no more than limited weight” can be afforded to the emerging Local Plan and the updated Five-Year Housing Supply Statement, “given the significant processes which the plan still has to go through as well as our significant objection to the plan as well as that anticipated from many other parties”.

Wates has also argued that “significant uncertainty” still surrounds many of the sites allocated for housing in Waverley’s draft Local Plan, unlike its own proposed development - adding that if the Secretary of State considers that the council has persistently under-delivered in terms of housing land supply, it may be required to consent to between five to 20 per cent extra homes to bridge the shortfall.

Addressing the inquiry on Tuesday, the inspector Mr Rose said he was not prepared to revisit the debate over Waverley’s five-year housing land supply and will instead rely on the written representations to determine whether the council has, as claimed, identified enough potential housing sites across the borough to meet demand for housing.

The remainder of the inquiry therefore centred on the evidence of three expert witnesses put forward by Wates on the topics of urban design, landscape and planning, and their cross examination by the developer and Waverley’s legal team as well as representatives of the Farnham Society, South Farnham Residents Association and Farnham Town Council.

The first witness, urban design expert Colin Pullan, argued that Wates’ proposed development in Waverley Lane would be a natural extension to the suburban area of South Farnham - fitting into the “pattern of growth” in the area.

He also disputed Waverley’s claim that the development would detract from the “leafy approach” to Farnham, adding that any concerns regarding the visibility of the estate from Waverley Lane could be dealt with at the detailed planning stage.

In response, Waverley’s QC Wayne Beglan criticised Wates’ over-reliance on two smaller developments allowed on appeal in recent years for arguing the housing density of its development reflects the wider area.

Mr Beglan added the Farnham Design Statement clearly states that the “green corridor” into Farnham from Waverley Lane be retained, and responding to Mr Pullan’s suggestion of “natural growth” said nothing had been built on the scale of Wates’ plans in the vicinity since the early 1970s.