The Haslemere Society has reiterated its “strong concerns” about Waverley’s assessment of the town’s High Street car park being “suitable in principle” for 50 new homes.

The deadline for responses to Waverley’s consultation on its draft Local Plan Part Two was last week and the society responded on potential housing sites identified by the council to meet the target of 830 new houses the town has been allocated by 2032.

There were 583 responses to the consultation on the draft blueprint for future development, which provides more detailed planning policies and allocations of non-strategic sites for housing. It also seeks to allocate sites for gypsy and traveller accommodation, and reviews the boundaries of town centres and important local landscape designations.

Commenting on the five-acre town centre site, between the High Street and West Street, society vice-chairman John Greer said: “When Waverley Borough Council first listed this as a Key Site many years ago for housing, the society registered its strong concerns about this proposal which we repeat again.

“The central car parking area is a crucial element supporting the vitality of the town centre and currently its capacity is often inadequate. This inadequacy will increase. Consequently the society considers that development which will reduce parking capacity should not be allowed.

“Any further development in this key area should be retail led, controlled and in keeping with the character of the town centre.

“The incorporation of residential development would only be appropriate conditional on there being no impediment to retail facilities, reduction in parking facilities or additional residential parking requirements being imposed on the public facilities.

“We refer you to your paragraph on ‘existing use of site’, which states that where a site is currently in a different use to housing and there is evidence that there is a need for that site to remain in that use, then the site has been considered not suitable for housing.

“This assessment criteria applies to this site.”

Haslemere Town Council did not respond to the potential site identified, but fully supported the retention of areas of strategic visual importance designation that protects the wooded area next to Holy Cross Hospital, which acts as a “strategic gap”.

The town council also called for the protective ‘Haslemere Hillsides’ designation, covering the area between Shepherds Hill and the High Street, to be retained and extended to include the War Memorial Recreation Ground.

Both groups were concerned about retail units now being able to switch to residential without planning permission, leading to loss of local employment. The council requested a percentage of any key site development being allocated for start-up businesses. It also called for the town centre boundary to be extended to include Junction Place in the west and the businesses near Majestic wine store in the east, and asked for the primary shopping area to be extended to include Tesco.

The society also objected to a change of the existing use to residential at BMW Barons in Hindhead, as being suitable for 30 houses, to the Andrews site just down the road having 50 homes. It agreed some housing was acceptable but urged that Hindhead should not lose all its retail space as it also provided employment.

Mr Greer said : “This is on a green corridor entry point to Haslemere, and from Haslemere it is a gateway to the South Downs National Park.

“The Haslemere Design Statement calls for these green corridors to be safeguarded. The site is designated Aea of Outstanding Natural Beauty land and part of the area to the north has been designated unsuitable for residential development by yourselves.We consider this area is unsuitable for residential development.”

Waverley has allocated 31 houses to the Youth Campus in Wey Hill, which is home to 1st Haslemere Scouts and District Guides, Air Training Corps and Army Cadet Force, St John Ambulance and Wey Hill Montessori School. nView responses at www.con sult.waverley.gov.uk