A major housing scheme for 146 homes off Waverley Lane in Farnham is due to return before councillors this week with planning officers recommending approval.

Members of Waverley Borough Council’s planning committee will consider the application on Wednesday, May 13, after previously deferring the decision in March over concerns about road safety, design and the siting of a pumping station.

The application by Miller Wates (Farnham) LLP relates to land west of and opposite Old Compton Lane and covers reserved matters including appearance, landscaping, layout and scale following an earlier outline planning permission granted on appeal.

The wider development already has permission in principle for up to 146 homes, including 37 percent affordable housing, alongside public open space, landscaping infrastructure, a Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG) and new vehicular access routes.

Planning officers are recommending delegated authority be granted to the assistant director of planning to approve the scheme subject to conditions and any minor amendments to wording.

According to the committee report, councillors deferred the application at the March 26 planning committee meeting to allow the applicant to reconsider three issues: the location of the pumping station and its impact on neighbouring properties, road safety and visibility splays, and the visual appearance of the development to make it more in keeping with the character of the area.

The earlier meeting also saw criticism from residents and campaigners who accused the developer of “heritage washing” by attempting to present the scheme as more rural and village-like through design features and landscaping despite the scale of the development.

Plans show 98 homes on the northern section of the site and 48 homes on the southern section north of the proposed SANG. Fifty-four affordable homes are proposed as part of the development.

The scheme includes a mix of terraced, semi-detached, link-detached and detached properties, with most homes two storeys high and some larger frontage buildings rising to two-and-a-half or three storeys around public open spaces.

Developers are also proposing two play areas, public spaces, pedestrian and cycle routes, 287 allocated parking spaces and 16 visitor parking spaces.

The application further seeks approval for details linked to internal roads, biodiversity net gain, drainage, tree protection and energy measures required under conditions attached to the earlier appeal decision.

In the conclusion of the report, officers stated that “given the approval of the outline application” and the Section 106 legal agreement, “the details of the proposed residential scheme are acceptable in terms of layout, scale, appearance and landscaping”.

The report adds: “The proposal would have a significant benefit of delivering housing, including affordable housing” and concludes the reserved matters are “recommended for approval”.

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While councillors could still refuse or defer the application again, the principle of development on the site has already been established through the successful planning appeal, meaning the committee is considering detailed design and technical matters rather than whether housing should be built there at all.