Politicians have demanded that Homes England take urgent action to end the long-running stalemate over Farnham’s Woolmead site.

The Farnham Herald this month launched its ‘We Mead Action: Sort Out Woolmead’ campaign, urging decisive steps to address the eyesore on East Street.

This week, both the local Conservative MP and Liberal Democrat campaigners agreed that Homes England must act to deliver homes or a community amenity on the land.

Greg Stafford, MP for Farnham and Bordon, said the current situation was “totally unacceptable.”

“It has been derelict now for so many years and it really needs to be built on to provide the homes we need in this area,” Mr Stafford said.

He said he had written to Homes England but “heard nothing” in response.

Mr Stafford also wrote to the secretary of state and again received no reply. A parliamentary question on September 16 yielded only what he called a “lacklustre answer,” suggesting that new planning consent may be required — a process that would cause further delays.

“This site is a prime opportunity and there are people interested in it. First we need to get it tidied up with better hoardings. But most of all we need Homes England to pull their finger out and do something about the land,” he insisted.

“There are lots of discussions between Waverley and Homes England but these are behind closed doors. I understand why for commercial sensitivities, but people need to know what the ultimate ambition is for this site. Is it going to be sold again?

“Is there going to be new planning permission which would delay development? There are a lot of agencies involved but it is all opaque and someone needs to get a grip on it. Really I don’t care who is ultimately responsible, I just want something done.”

If nothing happens soon, Mr Stafford said he plans to escalate his complaints in Parliament.

Cllr Mark Merryweather, a Liberal Democrat member of Farnham Town and Waverley Borough councils, said delays meant Homes England would not make a profit on the site, as rising construction costs have significantly reduced the land’s value.

“There should be some sort of mechanism where Homes England can lose money on the site and it can go to other public bodies to get something built for the town,” he said.

“It would be simple to say the market will solve it but we have tried this and now we are back to square one.

“Sending it back to the private market where there is little interest in the site is not a solution. We’d like to see a collaborative effort as the private sector has failed to build on the site.”

The Liberal Democrats have said they will continue to push for a resolution.

Party members have not ruled out demonstrating outside the site again, as they did in March 2024, but said ongoing efforts to secure a resolution are happening behind the scenes.

There is cross-party agreement that something must be done with the site — whether student accommodation for the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) or simply improvements to brighten the land while Farnham waits for a resolution.

Homes England has been approached for comment.