LOCAL MP Jeremy Hunt has told The Herald of plans for a protest march to take place in his south-west Surrey constituency later this year. So called "garden grabbing" has become a trait which has started to scar the character of Farnham, Haslemere and Godalming. Gardens belonging to private homes are starting to disappear at a rapid rate as developers try to squeeze in as many dwellings as possible for maximum financial gain. Mr Hunt said: "Dozens of communities are struggling to cope with the effects of overdevelopment. "Increasing the population density of an area obviously has severe repercussions on issues such as traffic. South West Surrey is being scarred by limitless building which is doing nothing to address the lack of affordable housing. "The government claims that 72 per cent of new housing is on brownfield sites which to many people has the connotations that those sites are disused industrial or commercial land. "In fact, the reality is that those developments are being shoehorned into sold-off back gardens, which are also classed as brownfield." Mr Hunt is supporting Greg Clark, MP for Tunbridge Wells, whose private member's bill against garden grabbing is currently going through the House of Commons. Its second reading is taking place on July 14. Mr Clark has vowed to attend the south-west Surrey rallies on September 30. Mr Hunt said: "People feel immensely strongly about this issue and dozens of people have vowed to turn out and show their support. We must give Waverley Borough Council a very clear message – we cannot let this limitless development continue." Mr Hunt and other campaigners want Waverley Borough Council to reduce the limit at which they insist developers include affordable housing in their plans. Currently the threshold lies at 15 dwellings but the MP wants to see that reduced to five. "We must do something to address the issue of affordable housing while also going some way to halt this surge of overdevelopment. This is an issue many people in the constituency feel very strongly about and one to which we must achieve a resolve," he said. The marches will take place on September 30. In Godalming the protest begins at The Pepperpot at 10-30 am. It will then continue to Haslemere to begin at 1-30 pm, moving on to Farnham's Gostrey Meadow at 4-30 pm. Each march will follow a route through the town centre of which details will be provided nearer the time.
