A LEADING campaigner in the battle to save Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's former home in Hindhead has taken over sponsorship of this year's Waverley Design Awards. Surveyor John Gibson stepped in to give a large sponsorship donation after The Haslemere Society withdrew its support from the awards earlier this year. At the time, society members told The Herald they had become so frustrated at the "remarkable lapse in standards" at Waverley Borough Council, they had decided to withdraw sponsorship from the awards in protest. Members of the society, which aims to protect and enhance Haslemere and surrounding villages by challenging changes which could be detrimental to the area, were "utterly dismayed" when Waverley planning officers raised no objections to designs for 43 houses on land at Midhurst Road, Haslemere, earlier this year. But Mr Gibson said he did not agree with the stance taken by The Haslemere Society. In a letter to The Herald this week he said: "To withdraw support from a scheme that encourages and rewards good design seems, surely, quite contrary to the society's aims for good design and seems unfortunate." Mr Gibson went on to say that, regardless of the merits of recent planning decisions by Waverley, this was a "futile and barren argument" when considered against the government pressures for increased housing density and changing opinions on what made for good design. In his letter Mr Gibson also noted, neither The Farnham Society or the Godalming Trust had "felt it necessary to discontinue their sponsorship of this excellent and very worthy scheme". Mr Gibson went on to say, the awards scheme rewarded practical projects in schools and it "seems a shame to deprive the children of encouragement by withdrawal of funds". Mr Gibson said he was "very pleased and privileged" to support the awards and pledged to continue to contribute, at the least the current amount of sponsorship, for the rest of his lifetime. In the letter Mr Gibson said: "In the field of the built and natural environment I cannot imagine a more worthy scheme to enhance the beautiful borough of Waverley, which has become more apparent to me during my efforts to save Conan Doyle's Undershaw." The Waverley Design Awards are given out every two years to architects and builders for good design, and to schools for designing environmental projects; The Haslemere Society had sponsored the project from the outset. The categories for the Waverley Design Awards scheme are New Buildings; Sustainable Design and Construction; Schools' Practical, Art and Academic projects; Environmental Enhancement and the Contractors' Award. In a letter to The Herald this August, the chairman of The Haslemere Society David Smith, said: "Residents of Haslemere will soon be able to judge for themselves just how bereft of inspiration the design (for houses at Midhurst Road) really is, as the houses are now being built. "This example is a recent instance in a series of high profile construction projects in the town where good design has been lacking. "We feel that most people will agree that Haslemere deserves better town planning standards than this." Society members were also becoming increasingly concerned about other poor designs being given the green light by Waverley officers. Mr Smith told The Herald poor designs for the pavilion and a "massive brick wall", both at the High Lane estate in Haslemere, had also been approved. In his letter Mr Smith said encouraging and rewarding good design "is very important to the society", particularly with government pressures to provide more housing. Mr Smith added: "The Waverley planners are in a very strong position to influence design and have a great responsibility to the community for whom they work. "We are looking to them to apply the same high standards of design that they look for when making awards. "When this happens we will be happy to reconsider our sponsorship." At the time, a Waverley Borough Council spokesman said: "It's regrettable that the Haslemere Society has withdrawn its support for good design through the Design Awards.   "Waverley Borough Council refused permission for the (Midhurst Road) application because of its poor design. "Permission was then granted by the Planning Inspectorate, not Waverley, on appeal."   Mr Gibson, a Conan Doyle expert, has been a central figure in the fight to save Undershaw, the Hindhead house designed by the Sherlock Holmes creator. Last month Guildford estate agents Lambert Smith Hampton confirmed the 'Undershaw Hotel', in Portsmouth Road, was available to buy or let, although no asking price had been set. The historic home was built as a private house for Conan Doyle, and in particular for his wife, who was suffering from tuberculosis, in 1897. The Grade II-listed building was converted into a 16-bedroom hotel in 1924 and closed in 2004. The Victorian Society is still awaiting a decision on its appeal against the Department of Culture, Media and Sport's refusal to upgrade Undershaw to Grade I-listed building status, which would put it in the top three per cent of Britain's buildings.