WAVERLEY Borough Council has given its strongest indication yet that it is willing to accept a new village settlement at Dunsfold Park aerodrome to avoid widespread development on the green fields surrounding Farnham.

This week Waverley published its draft spatial strategy, forming a key part of its new Local Plan setting out where to build almost 10,000 new homes in Waverley over the next 17 years in order to meet increased government targets.

And in a significant U-turn, the document extolls the virtues of housing at the former Second World War aerodrome south of Godalming, suggesting a new settlement of at least 1,800 new homes at Dunsfold Park “may offer the best opportunity to meet the council’s housing needs”.

The draft spatial strategy states: “Dunsfold Aerodrome itself is being actively promoted as a potential allocation in the Local Plan for a new settlement containing between 1,800 and 3,400 dwellings, a scale sufficient to support the provision of additional services and facilities.”

Waverley councillors have historically objected to housing at the borough’s largest brownfield site and home of BBC’s Top Gear, dating back to the council’s refusal of planning permission for a 2,600 home eco-village at Dunsfold Park in 2008.

However, after an update to the West Surrey Strategic Housing Market Assessment (SHMA) revealed a demand for 9,861 new homes in Waverley over the Local Plan period (2013 to 2032) - doubling the number estimated by the council in 2013 - pressure has intensified on Waverley to reverse its opposition.

According to the council’s draft spatial strategy, the scale of any development at Dunsfold Park is subject to “the satisfactory outcome” of an expert report from Mott MacDonald on the potential impact on the adjacent A281 and 1,800 homes is seen as the most feasible option.

But crucially, the document outlines several “clear advantages” of building homes at the aerodrome, adding delivery of up to 3,400 homes on the site could be a “longer-term opportunity” owing to Dunsfold Park’s potential to maximise available brownfield land and avoid development on greenfield sites.

Farnham independent borough councillor Andy MacLeod welcomed Waverley’s commitment to allow some housing at the aerodrome but urged to council to build 3,400 homes, the favourite choice of 80 per cent of those responding to Waverley’s 2014 consultation, or more.

“The draft spatial strategy appears to offer a small step in the direction favoured by the public by indicating support for the scenario 2 option of 1,800 new dwellings at Dunsfold Aerodrome,” he wrote in a letter to The Herald.

“However this is illusory as the strategy indicates that the ‘housing need’ has now increased, over the 18-year planning period, from 8,450 (470 pa) to 9,861 (519pa). This is an increase of 1,411 which largely negates the effect of building 1,800 houses at Dunsfold in terms of limiting greenfield development elsewhere in the borough.

“What essentially is being offered is a variation of scenario 1, the least preferred option of 80 per cent of those responding, with almost maximum greenfield development plus an additional 1,800 dwellings at Dunsfold.

“The proposed spatial strategy is a very poor solution to Waverley’s housing needs which would lack public support, cannot be realistically delivered and, insofar as it could be delivered, would greatly overstretch the borough’s infrastructure and services.

“Fortunately a solution is available, which is to include in the plan a 5,000 house garden village at Dunsfold Aerodrome. This would be deliverable as an imaginative contribution to not just Waverley’s but the nation’s housing shortage and, properly planned, would overcome the infrastructure and services issues.”

Farnham Residents, Waverley’s official opposition party, also criticised the council’s draft spatial strategy, dismissing the document as being premature and failing to fully recognise the constraints on development in Farnham.

Group chairman John Williamson said: “Waverley is placing the cart before the horse. It is imperative that Waverley gets its Local Plan right at the third attempt, even if that means significant revision.

“But perversely, Waverley wants us to agree this spatial strategy, which determines the location and amount of new housing, before being shown the evidence that constrains the strategy. To decide the draft spatial strategy without consideration of the legal and practical constraints would be a serious error of process.”

House-builders are required by UK and European Law to offset the impact of development, and specifically new homeowners and their pets, on the rare heathland Special Protection Areas (SPAs) surrounding Farnham.

Waverley policy states that they can do this by providing Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG) to attract homeowners away from the heathland, with much of the proposed development in Farnham relying on this key policy.

However, Farnham Residents disputes the effectiveness of SANG mitigation to reduce the impact of development on the SPAs north and south of Farnham and have challenged Waverley to provide evidence that it works.

Farnham Residents’ party leader Jerry Hyman added: “The draft spatial strategy outlines the major constraints but then ignores them. Waverley is still placing itself and its planning policy above the law. By putting AONB and Green Belt designations above the Habitats and Air Quality legislation, Farnham is still being denied the protection from over-development that we are due.

“This is reminiscent of 2006, when the Inspector intervened to halt Waverley’s first attempt at a Core Strategy, criticising the council for deciding the location and amount of housing before assessing the constraints.

“By deliberately repeating the errors that caused the 2006 and 2013 Local Plans to fail, Waverley seems determined to fail yet again, allowing major developers to continue to run amok in the borough.”