Fears North Farnham will be ‘hammered again’ by new housing

The village of Badshot Lea could be swallowed up by Farnham’s urban sprawl amid fears the area is set to be “hammered again” by housing development.

Waverley Borough Council’s Land Availability Assessment (LAA) identifies numerous sites around Badshot Lea and Weybourne as potentially suitable for housing.

The assessment identifies land that may have potential for future development and forms part of the evidence base that will inform the preparation of the new Waverley Local Plan 2026.

The Local Plan will set out a vision and rules for how land in Waverley will be used and protected over the next 15 years, guiding decisions on where new homes, shops and roads can be built.

The LAA does not allocate sites for development, but councillors fear the number identified around Badshot Lea and Weybourne could lead to another wave of housebuilding in North Farnham.

Badshot Lea and Moor Park Cllr Chris Jackman said: “I’m extremely concerned by what Waverley’s Land Availability Assessment suggests could be built in Badshot Lea and Weybourne.

“If we’re not alert when the Local Plan consultation begins, we risk ending up with only small pockets of green left, while developers walk away with the profits. Roads are already gridlocked and crumbling, school places are stretched, and families struggle to get GP appointments.

“Badshot Lea has taken more than its fair share of housing and risks losing its identity in its entirety. Residents and councillors of all parties need to be ready to speak up when the time comes.”

In a social media post, Cllr Catherine Powell, who represents the area on Surrey County and West Surrey councils, said: “North Farnham is set to be hammered again.”

She said: “I’m genuinely horrified by the number of sites that Waverley Borough Council Officers have determined to be available and potentially suitable for additional housing in North Farnham.

“North Farnham has already seen significantly more infill and expansion than any other part of Farnham in recent years and over the last 80 years with no new infrastructure.”

Councillor Liz Townsend, Waverley's Portfolio Holder for Planning and Economic Development, defended the council’s assessment process, stressing that inclusion in the document did not mean a site had been approved for development.

“The council is required by national planning policy to assess land put forward through the Call for Sites as part of preparing an up-to-date Local Plan. Inclusion of a site does not mean it has been approved for development, and no decisions have yet been made about future site allocations.

“The Land Availability Assessment is a technical document prepared as part of the Local Plan process. The colour coding reflects the current level of planning constraint affecting each site.

Find out about planning applications that affect you by visiting the Public Notice Portal.

“The colours do not indicate whether a site will or will not be developed. A ‘green’ site has not been approved as a site that is suitable for allocation, and a ‘red’ site is not automatically excluded from future consideration.”