Welcome to Haslemere South last updated 20 May 2020
South Haslemere and beyond to Blackdown through Valewood Park.
Stand up for Haslemere’s precious AONB woodland and meadows!
We are dedicated to protecting the rural character of Haslemere's beautiful countryside, specifically the biodiversity and wildlife-rich wooded green meadows on what was formerly Red Court land, located on Scotland Lane (GU27 3AN), designated DS15 in Waverley Borough Council’s Local Plan.
We welcome new members, membership is FREE, so download our Form and email it to us. If you can also help finance important professional objection reports, legal assistance or expert opinions please see our donation page.
We welcome new members, membership is FREE, so download our Form and email it to us. If you can also help finance important professional objection reports, legal assistance or expert opinions please see our donation page.
The Local Neighbourhood Plan
Neighbourhood Plan Survey
The deadline for responding to the Neighbourhood Plan survey is May 31, 2020.
Your comments are essential if we are to protect our local AONB/AGLV and prevent
unacceptable development destroying important wildlife habitats, green spaces and woodlands. Your responses will be taken into material consideration, so please give this matter some of your valuable time.
The survey is in four sections and we encourage all adults in your household to complete them, since every person’s input counts. This note sets out some points for your consideration.
You will see that the draft Neighbourhood Plan states that:
“65% of respondents, expressing an opinion in the Haslemere Vision Phase II consultation, wanted to ‘build as many houses as possible within settlements’ rather than on greenfield land. To achieve this aim, it will be necessary to prioritize brownfield sites within the built area before sites outside the built area, and to build at densities which maximise the contribution the sites make to the housing target. That means some strategic sites within Haslemere will need to be built at medium to high housing densities (above 45 dwellings per hectare or dph – see Glossary page 63) and some ‘windfall land efficient development’ will occur within the town.”
The Plan also states that it intends “to preserve areas of high landscape quality, in particular AONB/AGLV sites.”
As you respond to a number of the questions you may wish to add comments to make sure that these fundamental policies are not diluted unintentionally. Some key survey questions are worded somewhat ambiguously in that a simple positive answer could be interpreted as support for greater latitude to large-scale development on AONB/AGLV land which a respondent might not actually support. Some ambiguity is hard to avoid in these types of questionnaire, but you are invited to bear this in mind when completing the questionnaires.
HSRA believes the Neighbourhood Plan should reflect the community’s commitment to achieve the housing target by developing on brownfield, in-fill and land of lesser landscape or ecological value as a priority, without lowering the hurdles to development on greenfield AONB/AGLV. Indeed, the whole basis of a Neighbourhood Plan is to channel development in the right way overall, respecting the various policies, including density, affordable housing etc. whilst also taking into account the community’s strong wishes regarding the protection of its green spaces.
A detailed submission on behalf of HSRA is being prepared, in addition to members’ own responses to the consultation.
Finally, a few detailed points which we hope you will find helpful:
The Neighbourhood Plan and its Summary you have been presented with are draft documents that will be revised and move to a final draft on the basis of this public consultation. The Plan will then go to Waverley Borough Council and an Independent Inspector for approval and then public referendum.
You can approve, object to, and comment on any aspect of the draft Plan, the Summary and
the questions.
https://www.haslemeretc.org/neighbourhood-plan.html
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/SZL5QTJ
(Please note that the comments here are prompts and observations for you to take into account, so please do not copy / paste these comments rather than putting your thoughts into your own words!)
Try to do all the surveys if you can. Survey 1 (Housing) is especially important.
Alternatively if you wish to make additional comments for consideration you can email them to nplan@haslemeretc.org or info@haslemerevision.org.uk
If you want your previous survey to be superceded by the new survey you can do that by emailing info@haslemerevision.org.uk and ask to have your earlier survey removed. If you are just adding additional comments then the surveys do not need to be linked. [This last sentence is not v. clear – is it that you start a new survey to add comments just on questions you want to? Or do you need to ask them to re-open your previous survey to go in and add questions?]
The deadline for responding to the Neighbourhood Plan survey is May 31, 2020.
Your comments are essential if we are to protect our local AONB/AGLV and prevent
unacceptable development destroying important wildlife habitats, green spaces and woodlands. Your responses will be taken into material consideration, so please give this matter some of your valuable time.
The survey is in four sections and we encourage all adults in your household to complete them, since every person’s input counts. This note sets out some points for your consideration.
You will see that the draft Neighbourhood Plan states that:
“65% of respondents, expressing an opinion in the Haslemere Vision Phase II consultation, wanted to ‘build as many houses as possible within settlements’ rather than on greenfield land. To achieve this aim, it will be necessary to prioritize brownfield sites within the built area before sites outside the built area, and to build at densities which maximise the contribution the sites make to the housing target. That means some strategic sites within Haslemere will need to be built at medium to high housing densities (above 45 dwellings per hectare or dph – see Glossary page 63) and some ‘windfall land efficient development’ will occur within the town.”
The Plan also states that it intends “to preserve areas of high landscape quality, in particular AONB/AGLV sites.”
As you respond to a number of the questions you may wish to add comments to make sure that these fundamental policies are not diluted unintentionally. Some key survey questions are worded somewhat ambiguously in that a simple positive answer could be interpreted as support for greater latitude to large-scale development on AONB/AGLV land which a respondent might not actually support. Some ambiguity is hard to avoid in these types of questionnaire, but you are invited to bear this in mind when completing the questionnaires.
HSRA believes the Neighbourhood Plan should reflect the community’s commitment to achieve the housing target by developing on brownfield, in-fill and land of lesser landscape or ecological value as a priority, without lowering the hurdles to development on greenfield AONB/AGLV. Indeed, the whole basis of a Neighbourhood Plan is to channel development in the right way overall, respecting the various policies, including density, affordable housing etc. whilst also taking into account the community’s strong wishes regarding the protection of its green spaces.
A detailed submission on behalf of HSRA is being prepared, in addition to members’ own responses to the consultation.
Finally, a few detailed points which we hope you will find helpful:
- Note that answers to questions H1.3, H 3, H4 and H 14.1 and H 14.2 could be misinterpreted as support for building on AONB/AGLV outside the settlement boundary, under the various rationales given (e.g. biodiversity off-sets etc.). While any of these conditions for a development may be positive in isolation, you may wish to qualify your answers. Ticking Yes, OK but without providing an additional comment could be taken to mean you agree that AONB/AGLV should be treated in the same way as brownfield, in-fill and existing built land, whether inside or outside the boundary settlement.
- Also note that question H1.1 asks whether you support the Housing policy with a Yes, OK or No click – and invites you to additionally provide views in the comments box. If you have comments to make, make sure you click your answer, and in addition click “How would you improve or alter this policy?” You will see that the bold circle seems not to register your earlier choice. Ignore this, and write your comments, making sure you say which of the three above answers you have given.
- With regard to policy H4, it is proposed that the community would not formally have to be consulted on any development of less than 50 dwellings, inside or outside the settlement boundary. While consultation may need to be proportionate from a costs perspective, HSRA’s view is that consultation should be required for smaller developments as well (say, of at least 10 dwellings outside pre-existing buildings).
The Neighbourhood Plan and its Summary you have been presented with are draft documents that will be revised and move to a final draft on the basis of this public consultation. The Plan will then go to Waverley Borough Council and an Independent Inspector for approval and then public referendum.
You can approve, object to, and comment on any aspect of the draft Plan, the Summary and
the questions.
https://www.haslemeretc.org/neighbourhood-plan.html
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/SZL5QTJ
(Please note that the comments here are prompts and observations for you to take into account, so please do not copy / paste these comments rather than putting your thoughts into your own words!)
Try to do all the surveys if you can. Survey 1 (Housing) is especially important.
Alternatively if you wish to make additional comments for consideration you can email them to nplan@haslemeretc.org or info@haslemerevision.org.uk
If you want your previous survey to be superceded by the new survey you can do that by emailing info@haslemerevision.org.uk and ask to have your earlier survey removed. If you are just adding additional comments then the surveys do not need to be linked. [This last sentence is not v. clear – is it that you start a new survey to add comments just on questions you want to? Or do you need to ask them to re-open your previous survey to go in and add questions?]
This map is an extract from the Plan for illustration, but please use the link above for any information.
Saving your local AONB
Supporting the local community while protecting the green AONB around us which makes Haslemere the Town it is.
Serious threat to Haslemere’s unique countryside:
Developers plan a gateway of urbanisation to South Downs National Park!
Protecting the environment and wildlife – the so-called “extinction emergency” – is a critical priority for action at a global, national and local level. They are top of this generation’s agenda and our children’s. But Haslemere’s green spaces are being targeted on an unprecedented scale. The countryside that connects Haslemere to the Surrey Hills and South Downs National Park is under threat from development. After the swathe of Haslemere’s land at Sturt Farm was approved for urbanisation, yet another Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is at risk, south of the High Street; a massive housing estate off the Midhurst Road and Scotland Lane, with close to 200 houses, is soon to be proposed.
Serious threat to Haslemere’s unique countryside:
Developers plan a gateway of urbanisation to South Downs National Park!
Protecting the environment and wildlife – the so-called “extinction emergency” – is a critical priority for action at a global, national and local level. They are top of this generation’s agenda and our children’s. But Haslemere’s green spaces are being targeted on an unprecedented scale. The countryside that connects Haslemere to the Surrey Hills and South Downs National Park is under threat from development. After the swathe of Haslemere’s land at Sturt Farm was approved for urbanisation, yet another Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is at risk, south of the High Street; a massive housing estate off the Midhurst Road and Scotland Lane, with close to 200 houses, is soon to be proposed.
Why is it important?
There are some key reasons why this is so very important:
There are some key reasons why this is so very important:
protected and rare Slow worm
1. Jeopardising wildlife. The land in question is not only within Surrey Hills AONB, but is also protected under the Wealden Heath II SPA Zone. It is an irreplaceable natural community asset, home to vulnerable and endangered wildlife, a biodiversity habitat of wood and trees species. There are specific laws protecting this wildlife area which must be respected.
Protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981. Priority Species under the UK Post-2010 Biodiversity Framework
Protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981. Priority Species under the UK Post-2010 Biodiversity Framework
One of the fields under threat
2. Destroying landscape. We must not betray the vision for nature handed down from generation to generation of Haslemere residents and that we all enjoy. Haslemere’s forefather, Robert Hunter, had a vision to protect the surrounds of the town and founded the National Trust on our doorstep. Later, residents pooled their land and resources to extend the areas of National Trust land from Devil’s Punch Bowl, in the north, to Blackdown to the south, encircling the town with glorious protected areas of outstanding natural beauty. Do we want to allow that land to be ripped back from nature and given over to buildings and tarmac?
 Bottled Water collection 2018
3. Overloading infrastructure. If the development is allowed to proceed, not only will there be at least 180 houses, but on the national average, nearly 500 cars will be added to the small lanes and car parks of Haslemere; congestion and pollution will increase, not to mention risks to pedestrians. Separately, the demand on an already fragile water supply for the town and run-off flooding towards the Midhurst Road will be extreme.
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Scotland Lane flood on 14 Oct 19 with stalled delivery Van. Deepest seen to date.
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What is HSRA’s position?
Haslemere South Residents Association (HSRA) was established in 2018 to bring the community together to preserve the amenities of South Haslemere and support its community. Currently, our number one priority is to resist any development on the green spaces, most importantly the current proposals on the former Red Court estate. We seek to unite the local residents and ensure our voice is heard by Waverley Borough Council, and by our local Haslemere Town Councillors.
HSRA fully endorses endowments and provision for the community, such as for the scouts and schools, but we also believe that such arrangements should not come with strings attached, especially when they are the erosion of the essence of Haslemere and its surroundings. Recently the developer made their ‘gift’ to the Scouts and school contingent on support for their large housing estate, and will only be ‘given’ if and when planning permission to build 180 houses is granted.
The developer has also tried to use CPRE’s call for greater schoolchildren access to the countryside as a reason to lay concrete over 35 acres of that very countryside, conveniently ignoring the fact that CPRE has written to object to the development! In our view, there is absolutely nothing to stop any organisation giving open access to its land to the Scouts and schoolchildren, if it truly cares about their needs.
Where are our elected councillors in all this?
Waverley BC is in the middle of its local planning policy review. Last year it chose to exclude all AONB from development allocation but in a blatant contradiction of its own policy, allowed this single plot of land, termed DS-15 in their Local Plan, a candidate for AONB status, to be included. Our previous Town Council expressed support for this allocation in the draft local plan, but now this is under a new consultation we hope that the new Town Council members will listen to the community and oppose such a large single development and opt for urban or Brownfield sites only within the Settlement Boundary as depicted in the current 2020 Plan .
Our newly-reconstituted Councils now face significant public frustration and desire for change. The need to meet housing allocations across the borough must be achieved with a strategic perspective that does not resort to opportunistic nature-asset stripping. We do not believe Waverley should be complicit in allowing property developers to poach and profit from Haslemere’s prime AONB or AGLV when other more appropriate sites exist.
Who else cares about this?
Natural England, Campaign for Rural England (CPRE) and Surrey Hills have all recommended that this particular land, with its great landscape value and fundamental to Haslemere’s National Park setting, should be removed from Waverley’s Local Plan altogether. Their written submissions have so far been ignored by both the developer and Waverley BC.
It is not inevitable that AONB is built on nor is it inevitable that the green spaces around Haslemere, including Red Court, have to be surrendered to the bulldozer. It is precisely in order to protect these areas that national and local policies exist and that the public is properly given the opportunity to express its views.
Your countryside NEEDS YOU!!
Approval decisions are for Waverley BC and the Planning Inspectorate, but the Town Council and the public have a voice! Join HSRA and register your protest!
In order to challenge any large scale development on AONB outside the Settlement Boundary, we have established a collective fighting fund. The money raised pays for our own technical experts who can counter the experts of the developer and their team. The top priorities are legal, planning and landscape specialists. After that, environmental (biodiversity and wildlife), transport and heritage reports will be commissioned. Experts’ fees will range from £1,500 to £10,000 each and so we need donations from as many local residents as possible. We have already engaged a law firm and landscape consultant who have started preparing our arguments and we are phasing the use of funds according to the best moments to ensure our submissions have maximum impact:
What you can do?
Once our AONB is lost, it is gone forever. Stand up for Haslemere’s unique countryside!
Haslemere South Residents Association (HSRA) was established in 2018 to bring the community together to preserve the amenities of South Haslemere and support its community. Currently, our number one priority is to resist any development on the green spaces, most importantly the current proposals on the former Red Court estate. We seek to unite the local residents and ensure our voice is heard by Waverley Borough Council, and by our local Haslemere Town Councillors.
HSRA fully endorses endowments and provision for the community, such as for the scouts and schools, but we also believe that such arrangements should not come with strings attached, especially when they are the erosion of the essence of Haslemere and its surroundings. Recently the developer made their ‘gift’ to the Scouts and school contingent on support for their large housing estate, and will only be ‘given’ if and when planning permission to build 180 houses is granted.
The developer has also tried to use CPRE’s call for greater schoolchildren access to the countryside as a reason to lay concrete over 35 acres of that very countryside, conveniently ignoring the fact that CPRE has written to object to the development! In our view, there is absolutely nothing to stop any organisation giving open access to its land to the Scouts and schoolchildren, if it truly cares about their needs.
Where are our elected councillors in all this?
Waverley BC is in the middle of its local planning policy review. Last year it chose to exclude all AONB from development allocation but in a blatant contradiction of its own policy, allowed this single plot of land, termed DS-15 in their Local Plan, a candidate for AONB status, to be included. Our previous Town Council expressed support for this allocation in the draft local plan, but now this is under a new consultation we hope that the new Town Council members will listen to the community and oppose such a large single development and opt for urban or Brownfield sites only within the Settlement Boundary as depicted in the current 2020 Plan .
Our newly-reconstituted Councils now face significant public frustration and desire for change. The need to meet housing allocations across the borough must be achieved with a strategic perspective that does not resort to opportunistic nature-asset stripping. We do not believe Waverley should be complicit in allowing property developers to poach and profit from Haslemere’s prime AONB or AGLV when other more appropriate sites exist.
Who else cares about this?
Natural England, Campaign for Rural England (CPRE) and Surrey Hills have all recommended that this particular land, with its great landscape value and fundamental to Haslemere’s National Park setting, should be removed from Waverley’s Local Plan altogether. Their written submissions have so far been ignored by both the developer and Waverley BC.
It is not inevitable that AONB is built on nor is it inevitable that the green spaces around Haslemere, including Red Court, have to be surrendered to the bulldozer. It is precisely in order to protect these areas that national and local policies exist and that the public is properly given the opportunity to express its views.
Your countryside NEEDS YOU!!
Approval decisions are for Waverley BC and the Planning Inspectorate, but the Town Council and the public have a voice! Join HSRA and register your protest!
In order to challenge any large scale development on AONB outside the Settlement Boundary, we have established a collective fighting fund. The money raised pays for our own technical experts who can counter the experts of the developer and their team. The top priorities are legal, planning and landscape specialists. After that, environmental (biodiversity and wildlife), transport and heritage reports will be commissioned. Experts’ fees will range from £1,500 to £10,000 each and so we need donations from as many local residents as possible. We have already engaged a law firm and landscape consultant who have started preparing our arguments and we are phasing the use of funds according to the best moments to ensure our submissions have maximum impact:
- Immediate – to seek to withdraw the allocation of any AONB or AONB-candidate land for development in the next draft of Waverley’s Local Plan.
- Summer 2020 – written submissions and experts’ reports to be submitted during Waverley’s statutory 6 week consultation on the next draft Local Plan (assuming it includes at least some of the Red Court estate for development) and/or during consultation on any planning permission submitted by pre- or post- finalisation of the Local Plan.
- Autumn – potential public hearings before the independent planning inspector, including legal and other experts.
- Winter – potential appeals (either by the developer or by HSRA) depending on the planning inspector’s decision.
What you can do?
- Donate
- Join the conversation and make your feelings known
- Twitter: @haslemeresouth
- Facebook: @haslemeresouth
- Instagram: @scotlands_lane_oak
Once our AONB is lost, it is gone forever. Stand up for Haslemere’s unique countryside!