RESIDENTS from a small close of houses in Haslemere, who wrote to a local government Ombudsman following accusations of maladministration by Waverley Borough Council, are still waiting for a reply almost two months later.

Complaints came after Waverley gave the go-ahead for two linked, three-bedroom homes in a corner of Bartholmews Close.

Residents were horrified when, after 17 letters of objection to the scheme and strong support from Haslemere Town Council which was also against it, the plan was approved.

Members of Bartholomew Close Residents' Association wrote to the Ombudsman in September claiming their views had been ignored and were told that they could expect a response towards the end of November.

Michael Clark, a resident of 26 years, said that Waverley had treated people living in Bartholomew's Close "with contempt" and their views had been trampled on.

"I know from the Ombudsman that there are so many complaints against local government and that dealing with them takes time, but it's been a long time since September 25 to have had no response," he said.

The official complaint concerns the way the planning application was dealt with at a meeting of Waverley's southern area development control sub committee.

The residents claim "the process was unjustifiably biased towards the developer, to the extent that it was maladministration.

And they pointed out that while developers could appeal if a decision goes against them, people actually affected by the new buildings have no such right.

"We were told that we could take out a High Court injunction, but this would cost £4,000 and we would not be guaranteed a result," said Mr Clark.

The chairman of the planning committee told The Herald after the meeting that the council "had no choice" in allowing the development, because of government regulations on making the best use of urban land.

But Mr Clark said that government planning guidelines "make it quite clear that full account is always to be taken of the impact of developments upon the street scene".

He claims that planners ignored the fact and also lacked local knowledge.

Mr Clark said: "If you were to visit Bartholomew's Close you would see that it is a very harmonious place, and how out of character the planned design is."

He said that when the plans were presented to councillors in such a way, they would not be able to tell just how out of place the new development could be.

"It's a totally different design from existing houses, very intrusive," he said.

Although the association has hopes that the council will rescind the planning permission to allow for a "properly conducted planning meeting", building work continues on the new homes disrupting the lives of some of the residents whose homes are adjacent to the site.

Secretary of the residents' association Pat Crust who lives close to the building site said the houses would be even more intrusive than she first thought and taller.

Mr Clark praised Haslemere Town Council who he said had been both "sympathetic and supportive."

"They've been wonderful - I can't speak highly enough of them. But this is a stark contrast with Waverley's attitude," said Mr Clark.

A spokesman for Waverley Borough Council said that no official date of reply had been given by either party.

"The Ombudsman can set a deadline for us to respond to inquiries, but that did not happen in this case. We are expecting to send a response within a week, and then the Ombudsman will have to decide how he wants to move forward."