'Town of flats' fears in Farnham as Centrum appeal lodged

The future of a controversial 159-home development in Farnham town centre will now be decided by the Planning Inspectorate after the developer appealed Waverley Borough Council's decision to refuse planning permission.

CR Properties Ltd has lodged an appeal after Waverley Borough Council refused planning permission for the Centrum scheme in December last year.

After an hour-long debate, councillors voted 6-5 against the proposal despite officers recommending approval, citing its overbearing impact and detrimental effect on neighbouring amenities.

At the time, there were fears the developer would appeal the decision, leaving the council facing a difficult battle to defend its refusal.

These now appear to have been realised, with Farnham's recent planning appeal record offering little encouragement. Waverley Borough Council has lost each of the last four planning appeals relating to Farnham.

Ceferino Fernandez, a resident of the nearby Lionsgate building, said: "Powerful interests are now involved and the outcome, unfortunately for Farnham, looks bleak.

“However, the consequences from this absurd 159-dwelling development are horrific to contemplate, especially for the residents at Lionsgate.”

Another resident said: "Obviously we are all concerned about the loss of amenity. Waverley councillors voiced our concerns on the issues of density, loss of light and the overbearingness of the development.

“I feel the appeal has ignored these concerns raised by us and councillors at the meeting and summarised it as just a loss of amenity.

"The density of the Centrum development and the Woolmead alongside Brightwells Yard will turn the town into a 'town of flats'.”

Another concern is what the appeal could mean for Farnham's Neighbourhood Plan, which was adopted by residents in 2020, as some of the proposed buildings would be six storeys high, exceeding the four-storey limit set out in the plan.

The site is such that the finished height would be no higher than the buildings at Brightwells Yard.

However, many fear it could set a precedent for taller developments in Farnham.

A spokesperson for the Farnham Society said the group accepted the site's allocation for housing in the Neighbourhood Plan but warned the proposed building’s height would set a dangerous precedent for future developments.

They said the scale of the scheme, alongside the Swain and Jones development opposite, would create a "canyon" effect along East Street and leave nearby cottages overshadowed.

They added: "Redevelopment of the site gives an opportunity to enhance the eastern entrance to the town centre. Let us make sure the opportunity is not missed."

In its appeal statement, CR Properties said the development would help address Waverley’s housing shortage.

"The reduction in the size of the scheme during the application process has had a detrimental effect on the viability of the scheme,” a spokesperson said.

"Whilst the scheme's viability has worsened, the developer advises that in order for them to recover the costs spent to date including land acquisition, they are willing to proceed with the development.

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"This scheme will provide much-needed housing for the Borough of Waverley which has significant challenges in its housing delivery. I would therefore respectfully ask the inspector to allow the appeal."