A PLANNING row is looming after Waverley planning officers recommended outline permission for controversial plans to build 13 homes in the garden of a house in the town.

Residents are expected to turn out in force next Wednesday (October 16) when Waverley's southern area planning committee discuss the proposals for Howberry, 20 Courts Mount Road.

The meeting is taking place in Haslemere Museum rather than small town hall chamber, because of the expected interest from local residents.

Two planning applications will be under discussion – an outline application for the erection of four homes following the demolition of the existing house which has been recommended for refusal, plus a further outline application for the building of seven two-bedroom and six three-bedroom houses on the three-quarter-of-an-acre site.

The deputy mayor of Haslemere Michael Foster said he was "disappointed at the recommendation for approval, out of concern with the residents of Haslemere."

And he declared that new government rules, which call for more small homes to be built in locations like Haslemere with good public transport links and with an approximate five-minute walk of the railway station, could "impact on the quality of the town".

"Bearing in mind the views of the town council when we objected to this application we are looking into the current guidance to see if there is some way that the committee could be justified in refusing the application."

So far 48 letters protesting against the scheme have been received by Waverley, including one from the Haslemere Society, the watchdog which comments on new developments in the town. A petition has also been received containing more than 100 signatures.

The letters cover a variety of objections from being out of character with the area, over development, loss of privacy and light, concerns about additional hazards to the dangerous narrow road, to the impact on established trees and setting of a precedent.

Planners are expected to hear in a report that Surrey County Council has raised no objections to the scheme which it considered provides an access with acceptable sightlines in both directions.

A traffic count carried out on the road by the applicant in April and September has led SCC also to consider that additional cars would have an adverse effect on highway safety.

The report also states that there are "no trees of an particular merit" on the site – the acer is considered to be "of limited public worth" and a copper beech "a misformed specimen".

Waverley planning officers in their report say that while four homes on the site does not comply with government rules for the best use of the land and would provide larger homes for which there is "no perceived need", the higher density of homes is in line with the local plan guidelines of providing between 30 an 50 homes per hectare.

Haslemere town councillors called the plan "alarming" when it was discussed at a meeting in August and were unanimous in their condemnation of the scheme.

There are also fears that the proposed development could pave the way for housing development stretching from the proposed site in Courts Mount Road down to the rear boundary of Haslemere Hotel, opposite the railway station.

It is the second time in recent weeks when Haslemere Town Council has been at odds over planners over the number of homes being developed on town sites. The town council was also against eight homes for the former ambulance station site, of just over a third-of-an-acre in Grayswood Road which was given the go-ahead several weeks ago.