A DEVELOPER has appealed against Waverley Borough Council’s refusal of planning permission for 46 new homes in the countryside between The Bourne and Frensham for a second time.

Bargate Homes was knocked back by Waverley in its attempt to build on the 12-acre greenfield site to the rear of 35 Frensham Vale in November, but has appealed to the Secretary of State to overturn this ruling.

It comes after a government inspector upheld Waverley’s last refusal of planning permission for Bargates’ scheme in January last year, despite the developer overcoming flooding fears.

In dismissing Bargate’s second application, Waverley’s head of planning Elizabeth Sims retained concerns about the proposal’s impact on the countryside and drew heavily on the policies of the emerging Waverley Local Plan and Farnham Neighbourhood Plan.

With communities secretary Sajid Javid expected to rule on the weighting to be given to both emerging plans in relation to another appeal in Waverley Lane in the new year, it had been expected that Bargate would await Mr Javid’s decision before launching a second appeal.

However, the developer has instead preempted the communities secretary’s ruling, challenging Waverley’s assertion that it has identified a five-year supply of housing land to meet demand in the borough.

• Waverley councillors also recently refused a detailed planning application for 43 new homes at Baker Oates Stables in Gardeners Hill Road, just half a mile from Bargate Homes’ proposed scheme.

CALA Homes was granted outline permission for Baker Oates on appeal last December, with reserved matters such as the development’s appearance, landscaping, layout and scale to be determined by Waverley at a later date.

This came before Waverley’s joint planning committee on Wednesday, November 16, and was refused on the grounds that “its linear nature and lack of architectural variety…would be out of character with the surrounding area” - again citing the emerging Local Plan and Neighbourhood Plan.

CALA Homes’ scheme is directly opposite the site of another developer, CEG’s proposed 120-home ‘hamlet in the woods’ refused planning permission by Waverley officers in September.