A 400-home planning application that “would just swamp” parts of Surrey will be decided during a five-day public appeal hearing.

Developers Merchant Seaman’s War Memorial Society and Thakeham Homes have taken their Alfold project to the planning inspectorate after Waverley Borough Council failed to rule on the matter.

If approved, the plans would also include up to 120 affordable homes together with a communal commercial facility. 

Thames Water has already said the area’s network is at breaking point and cannot take any further development without upgrades.

The area suffers flooding and sewage leaks as the antiquated system is prone to failing during storm periods.

Waverley accepts its housing land supply situation is terrible and is open to speculative development.

However it will argue at the pending inquiry that the harm this project would do outstrips the need to build much-needed homes.

The site, near Loxwood Road, has already been subject to an appeal.

In 2015, a similarly proposed 400-house project with 80 ‘independent living’ units and a care home was proposed.

That would have provided a new primary school, shop, and sports facilities but was refused when the inspector concluded it  would not be a sustainable location for major residential development.

The current application has received 285 letters from concerned parties and all bar one have been opposed to the plans  – with the most pressing concern being the lack of supporting infrastructure, and not just the water system but also electricity, doctors and schools.

Many also commented on traffic congestion and the overdevelopment of the rural area.

Councillor Julian Spence  (Liberal Democrat: Hindhead & Beacon Hill) told the Waverle planning committee last week: “Frankly, this development would just swamp Alfold and Alfold simply cannot cope.

“I will have absolutely no trouble at all in supporting its refusal.”

Thames Water was asked for its own opinion on the application, as it would need to connect any new houses to its network.

They say the village cannot accommodate additional development without upgrades  and that no homes should be occupied until there was enough drainage capacity and that the foul water network could not currently meet the proposal’s needs.

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The officers report recommended refusal as the plan “would represent a level of growth that is disproportionate to the size, role and limited range of day-to-day services, facilities and public transport opportunities available within the settlement.”