COUNTY leaders have called for far more investment into affordable housing in Surrey as the government continues to press on with its major plan to build thousands of homes in the region. Surrey County Council has called on government officials to include at least 40 per cent of all new developments in Surrey as affordable housing. This could generate as many as 20,000 affordable homes, depending on which level of housebuilding SEERA chooses. In its formal response to the South East Plan, SCC will also lodge an objection to the decision to reclassify Surrey as an area of growth, rather than an area where development should be constrained. The council's executive has been asked to give more views on the South East Plan - which could see as many as 60,000 homes built in Surrey over the next two decades - before SEERA decides what level of building to set for the South East. SEERA will decide on either 25,000, 28,000 or 32,000 homes per year, the top level of which could generate around 60,000 houses being built in Surrey. Councillors have been pushing for a level closer to the one agreed in the Surrey Structure Plan. Surrey's official position to SEERA will be: • That the county's present rate of building (as laid out in the Surrey Structure Plan) is satisfactory and should not be increased; • That the county should be an area of "development constraint", not "economic potential" • To strongly oppose higher building levels being consulted on by SEERA which could result in around 60,000 homes being built in the county. In its official response to SEERA, the council is also standing firm on its resolution to avoid Green Belt development wherever possible, instead directing any new development onto urban areas. The council remains concerned over economic forecasts used by SEERA - which could commit the county to a far higher growth rate than it can realistically cope with. The Surrey area is already the most densely developed region of any county in the South East Plan, and County Hall experts already believe the economy is "overheated". The council's executive member for environment, David Munro, warned that unsustainable levels of building and growth could spark a "housing catastrophe" for future generations. He said: "The high housing rates listed in SEERA's consultation are simply unsustainable in Surrey - and we will continue to oppose housebuilding which swallows Green Belt land and outstrips the infrastructure the county has. "Ultimately, we must accept that Surrey is in need of more housing - but it should be realistic. As county leaders our duties are clear - to protect the interests of this county now and into the future. Agreeing to an unsustainable level of housing now could result in a catastrophe for future generations, especially if the infrastructure is not there to support it." "I'm therefore satisfied that what we are pushing for - essentially restraining development to our present building levels, more affordable housing and a commitment that Surrey will not be left without schools and roads to support housebuilding - should help provide this protection."
