A GOVERNMENT planning inspector has reopened the door to speculative development across the borough, after dismissing Waverley council’s claim that enough housing land has been identified to meet demand over the next five years.

Inspector Karen Ridge this week allowed an appeal by developer Linden Homes/MMC Developments against Waverley Borough Council’s refusal of planning permission for 69 new homes, including 21 ‘affordable’ and a 60-bed care home at the former Weyburn Works engineering factory in Shackleford Road, Elstead.

And in a double blow to the council, the inspector also ruled that Waverley does not have a five-year housing land supply in place - despite the council’s claim to the contrary last October when combatting another appeal by developer Wates for 157 homes either side of Waverley Lane in Farnham.

In her decision notice, Mrs Ridge conceded that Waverley’s argument that the Weyburn Works application constitutes inappropriate development in the Green Belt was “entirely reasonable”.

However, citing Waverley’s poor record on housing delivery and specifically its lack of a “20 per cent” buffer on top of its identified housing demand, she came to the conclusion “that the cumulative benefits [of the Linden/MMC scheme] clearly outweigh the harm such that very special circumstances exist”.

Waverley reported having a 5.79 year housing land supply as of January 1, 2017 based on a five per cent buffer. But in her ruling, Mrs Ridge stated: “There has been persistent under delivery such as to warrant corrective action by the imposition of the 20 per cent buffer.”

The imposition of the 20 per cent buffer increases the number of houses that Waverley will be required to deliver in the next five years, placing renewed pressure on the council to consent to less favourable development, particularly on greenfield sites.

Mrs Ridge’s ruling also supports a decision made by another inspector in granting an appeal for a 120-home development on another brownfield site at Hewitts Industrial Estate in Cranleigh in January, in which Waverley’s housing land supply was also brought into question.

Following the Hewitts decision, Waverley’s head of planning Elizabeth Sims expressed hope that the inspector appointed to examine the council’s emerging Local Plan would take a different view, and informed the council’s overview and scrutiny committee at the turn of the year that “we are maintaining our position…for the time being”.

But with Waverley’s blueprint for future housing development now facing a lengthy delay after the Government’s decision to ‘call in’ an application for 1,800 homes at Dunsfold Park - a cornerstone of the Local Plan - earlier this month, Mrs Sims has belatedly acknowledged the inspectors’ position.

In a letter to councillors this week seen by The Herald, Mrs Sims said: “The inspector concludes that the council, at this time, is unable to demonstrate a five-year housing land supply (5YHLS).

“This is disappointing, particularly given the review of the 5YHLS position that we put in place to defend this appeal after the Hewitts Industrial Estate decision.

“For the time being, therefore, we have to concede this position and this will inform our stance on current applications and appeals.”

Mrs Ridge’s ruling could have a direct impact on several ongoing appeals in the Farnham area, including Wates’ aforementioned development in Waverley Lane for which a government inspector is expected to announce his decision imminently, as well as appeals against Waverley’s refusal of permission for 46 homes in Frensham Vale by Bargate Homes, CEG’s 130-homes ‘hamlet in the woods’ also in Frensham Vale, and Bewley Homes’ 140-homes development in Lower Weybourne Lane.

However, according to chairman of The Farnham Society’s planning committee David Howell, Farnham’s green spaces may yet be saved thanks to the progress of the Farnham Neighbourhood Plan ahead of Waverley’s troubled planning blueprint.

Mr Howell said: “We are of course disappointed that the inspector allowed the appeal for the Weyburn Works in Elstead, especially reaffirming the decision given in the Hewitts appeal that Waverley does not have a five-year housing land supply.

“But Farnham is in a slightly different position to the rest of Waverley, or will most likely be, in May, after the referendum for the Farnham Neighbourhood Plan.

“In towns or villages with a ‘made’ Neighbourhood Plan Waverley need only demonstrate a three-year housing land supply to enable applications for development to be refused on sites not included within the Neighbourhood Plan.

“It is our hope that the Secretary of State will dismiss the appeals at Waverley Lane and Lower Weybourne Lane accepting that Waverley has a three-year housing land supply.

“We also hope that planning inspectors in forthcoming appeals will not accept arguments for allowing housing on sites in Farnham on the basis of Waverley not having a five-year housing land supply. In addition that Waverley will refuse current applications for housing on sites not included in the Farnham Neighbourhood Plan.”

Following the Weyburn Works appeal decision, Waverley’s joint planning committee granted a second application by Linden/MMC on Tuesday this week, proposing 61 instead of 69 new houses on the derelict site.

Pat Murphy, chairman of Elstead Parish Council, which reluctantly supported this second application, said: “The proposed development at the former Weyburn Works site is the largest development to affect Elstead and its immediate area for the past half century – representing an increase of over five per cent in number of dwellings. So it is of key importance to the community.

“Several aspects of the proposals have caused us difficulty, in particular the loss of a major employment site. But the refusal of the earlier proposal for 69 dwellings was overturned on appeal and we had to consider whether or not this second application, for 61 new dwellings, was more acceptable.

“We concluded that on balance this application is more acceptable to the earlier one.”