Waverley could have to find space for up to 9,000 additional homes as new government housing targets pile further development pressure on the borough.

The potential requirement of between 8,000 and 9,000 homes comes as Waverley prepares a new Local Plan that will determine where development can take place up to 2044.

The Government’s new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) has reinstated mandatory housing targets for councils in England as part of its drive to deliver 1.5 million homes over five years.

The changes mean Waverley faces the challenge of identifying enough suitable land to accommodate thousands more homes in a borough where development pressures are already intense.

The potential scale of the increase was highlighted in a planning briefing by specialist consultancy O’Neill Homer, which examined the implications of national planning policy for local and neighbourhood plans.

Attention will now turn to where the additional homes could be built, particularly around Farnham, where concerns have repeatedly been raised about the availability of land and pressure on roads and other infrastructure.

Waverley is already preparing a replacement Local Plan, which is due to be adopted by January 31, 2029.

Following its scoping consultation, Local Plan Gateway 1 is due to begin on October 23. The formal checkpoint marks the start of a 30-month timetable to prepare and adopt the new plan.

Once adopted, it will replace both parts of Waverley’s existing Local Plan and provide the planning framework for development across the borough until 2044.

The process will continue through Local Government Reorganisation, with responsibility transferring to the new West Surrey Council from April 2027. The new plan will continue to cover the existing Waverley borough area.

Zofia Lovell, of the South Farnham Residents Association, said: “Sadly, for Waverley and the rest of the country, the required numbers by Government have more than doubled, which means a mad scramble for more land to cover this massive uplift. Its basic Economics "supply and demand ".”

She added: “However, Farnham is rapidly running out of "green spaces" to provide yet more housing. The next step for Waverley is to seriously look at the "constraints" that exist now within Farnham and its environment. Not just the AONB, etc, but to look more closely at the "Local Infrastructure".”

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There are also concerns about the cumulative impact of development outside Waverley, with further housing around Bordon, Alton and along the Hog’s Back potentially adding more traffic to roads around Farnham.