PROPOSALS to strip a wooded area next to Haslemere’s Holy Cross Hospital of its protective landscape designation and potentially open it up for development, are strongly opposed by the town council.

In the draft local plan, Waverley Borough Council recommends removing the Area of Strategic Visual Importance (ASVI) designation given to the woodland on the southern slope of Holy Cross Hospital, because there are “no sound reasons” to retain it.

Waverley originally granted the ASVI designation, also applied to areas of land around Farnham, Godalming and Cranleigh, to create a ‘strategic gap’ by retaining open land and preventing settlements from merging.

But a local landscape designation review undertaken by the borough council in 2014, concluded the Holy Cross Hospital ASVI made “only a limited contribution due to the already developed nature of this area”.

Waverley’s draft Local Plan proposes axing the Haslemere designation, but retaining the other ASVI designations.

It states: “It is a wooded area and is not subject to pressure for development”.

The move goes against Haslemere Design Statement, which described the woodland as a “special green area” that is a “very important factor” within the townscape, and the town council is insisting Waverley should retain its protected status.

Responding to the draft Local Plan, it said: “Haslemere Town Council objects to the removal of the land south of Holy Cross Hospital from the ASVI classification.

“Waverley Borough Council’s decision to remove it is based on an assessment made in August 2014.

“The assessment stated: ‘Although a wooded area, it makes a limited contribution to the ASVI due to the developed nature of the area.

‘This could be considered to be marginal in terms of fulfilling the purpose of the ASVI designation and should therefore be considered for removal, to keep the strength of the designations for the remaining areas’.

“WBC states the area is not subject to pressure for development, but if the ASVI designation is removed it could well be.

“It is a pleasant wooded area which contributes to the character of the street scene and the council would hate to see this area developed in the future.”

Haslemere resident Tony Bennett also lodged an objection:

He wrote: “This is a heavily wooded area on the approach to Haslemere from Hindhead.

“Nothing has changed regarding the site itself during the time it has been designated ASVI.

“Although the surrounding area of Shottermill has seen some development, this has only increased the importance of the site retaining its designation as a buffer against further urbanisation of the entire area.

“This was the original purpose of its designation – in recognition of its strategic value to the town.

“In addition, the area is one of three Special Green Areas identified in the Haslemere Design Statement which, having been adopted by Waverley, is a material planning consideration.

“It states these areas are an integral part of the character and intrinsic value of the town and should be retained.

“They create green screens between residential developments and are particularly visual on numerous approaches to the town.

“Providing a safe haven for wildlife both fauna and flora, they are also effectively the green ‘lungs‘ within the townscape of Haslemere.”

Fellow Haslemere objector Robin Sly responded: “The removal of the ASVI from the area south of Holy Cross Hospital is unsound as it is not justified.

“The statement makes no sense. It is precisely because of the developed area around this wooded area that it should be protected. To say it makes only a limited contribution is also incorrect, has anybody actually physically looked at the view standing on the south side of the valley looking north?

“What we see from Camelsdale are a band of trees not a ‘developed area’.

“This view is vital to maintain the character and green environment of the surrounding area.

“If there is no pressure for development what is the justification for its removal from the ASVI?”

Backing Waverley’s move to strip the Haslemere woodland of its protected status, Tony Webber, of Aldershot-based Cove Construction, went further and urged that the other ASVI designated areas should also be removed.

“The contention the ASVI areas play an important role in preventing coalescence of settlements is rejected and objected to,” he said.

“This is because the policy is, in effect, an out-of-date hybrid policy.

“The layering of locally derived policy designations is no longer supported by national policy.

“Further, if the purpose of the policy is to prevent coalescence then why is there a separate traditional ‘Strategic Gap’ policy included in the draft Plan, brought forward from the 2002 plan?

“The planning purpose behind the policy is obscure and its justification through the Waverley Local Landscape Designation Review report is superficial, at best.

“There is no proper justification for the policy.”

• Waverley’s consultation on its draft local plan, which concluded on October 3, generated more than 690 responses, together with 2,100 Protect Our Waverley postcards.

The responses are now being analysed and a report setting out the key issues will be considered by Wavereley’s joint overview and scrutiny committee, executive and full council.

Find out about planning applications that affect you by visiting the Public Notice Portal.

The plan will then be submitted for examination later this year.