A DEVELOPMENT of 132 houses, including 53 affordable homes, is on the cards at Haslemere’s Sturt Farm, following the submission of a ‘firmed up’ plan.

Waverley Borough Council granted outline consent in 2015 for the controversial application for up to 135 houses to be built in an area of outstanding natural beauty.

A reserved matters application has just been submitted for the development, which will be served by the existing access to Sturt Farm, after the borough council approved the relocation last November.

The development will comprise 79 properties to be sold on the open market, made up of nine, one-bedroom flats, 22 two-bed flats, 27 three-bed houses and 21 four-bedroom houses.

The 53 affordable homes, which will be available for rent or as shared ownership, comprise 24 shared ownership homes with nine one-bedroom flats, two two-bed flats, two two-bedroom houses, nine three-bedroom homes and two four-bedroom properties.

Affordable rented properties on offer are 12 one-bedroom flats, eight two-bed apartments, four two-bedroom homes and five three-bed properties.

The new single access from Sturt Road will have traffic calming measures installed and go through Sturt Farm, continuing up the hill and finishing around a new ‘green’ at the top.

Planning consent to build on area of outstanding natural beatuy (AONB) required the provision of a suitable alternative natural green space (SANG).

It will comprise eight-and-a-half acres of grassland next to the development, which will be open to the public.

The SANG will include a circular walk and the route will include new footpaths with a view to creating a ‘varied user experience’.

Several objections have already been been received, one resident protesting: “Sturt Road is already extremely busy and access to a major housing estate on the corner that it is on will simply cause utter mayhem and congestion at rush hours.

“There is no way the developer can mitigate against this.”

Writing in support, another resident said: “This development is of paramount importance to Haslemere in economic terms, and while giving some chance for people to remain in Haslemere – rather than the little or no chance they have at present.”

“The field at Sturt Farm is not a naturally beautiful area when compared to other areas north, east and south of Haslemere.

“The SANG site being offered in place of Sturt Farm is much more worthy of the title AONB.”