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Welcome to Haslemere South last updated 15 October 2019
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. >>>click Concern over "Green Wash" by Redwood click<< |
Protection of Trees is now a key issue |
Saving your local AONB
Serious threat to Haslemere’s unique countryside:
Developers plan a gateway of urbanisation to South Downs National Park!
What’s all the fuss about?
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 developers. 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 for approval.
Developers plan a gateway of urbanisation to South Downs National Park!
What’s all the fuss about?
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 developers. 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 for approval.
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 that the developer, Redwood, plans to build on is not only within Surrey Hills AONB, but is also protected as a 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
Our field 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 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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Full Scotland Lane flood on 14 Oct 19 with stalled delivery Van. Deepest seen to date.
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What is the developer up to?
The developer, Redwood, claims their plans are “community-led” and eco-friendly, regardless of the destruction they would cause. In fact, the developer’s promoter seems to have a poor track record in terms of success in realising this type of housing estate. The residents Liphook and Rogate have made their angry concerns heard very loudly in relation to very similar proposed eco-developments at “Bohunt Park” and “Dangstein”.
We are very concerned that the developer’s tactics to sweeten the destruction of AONB by offering various ‘carrots’ will divide Haslemere and the town’s commitment to its Vision and Neighbourhood Plan which has been 5 years in design. The sweeteners are a combination of minor steps to try to off-set the eradication of protected landscape and wildlife (by, for example, a few owl boxes and bat enclosures) on the one hand, and generous (but in no way altruistic) offers of facilities for the Scouts and Grayswood Forest School, on the other hand.
Redwood took a gamble when it purchased Red Court’s AONB land in the Surrey Hills. Under DEFRA policy, AONB land should be considered for development only as a last-resort option, when all other viable, available in-fill, brownfield and less-biodiversity-rich sites have been exhausted. That is simply not the case with Redwood’s proposed “Scotland Park” housing estate. The green spaces around Haslemere should not be treated by Waverley BC as an asset simply to be stripped and turned into profit for developer investors. There are only 46 AONBs in the United Kingdom; Red Court land is part of the Surrey Hills AONB.
The developer, Redwood, claims their plans are “community-led” and eco-friendly, regardless of the destruction they would cause. In fact, the developer’s promoter seems to have a poor track record in terms of success in realising this type of housing estate. The residents Liphook and Rogate have made their angry concerns heard very loudly in relation to very similar proposed eco-developments at “Bohunt Park” and “Dangstein”.
We are very concerned that the developer’s tactics to sweeten the destruction of AONB by offering various ‘carrots’ will divide Haslemere and the town’s commitment to its Vision and Neighbourhood Plan which has been 5 years in design. The sweeteners are a combination of minor steps to try to off-set the eradication of protected landscape and wildlife (by, for example, a few owl boxes and bat enclosures) on the one hand, and generous (but in no way altruistic) offers of facilities for the Scouts and Grayswood Forest School, on the other hand.
Redwood took a gamble when it purchased Red Court’s AONB land in the Surrey Hills. Under DEFRA policy, AONB land should be considered for development only as a last-resort option, when all other viable, available in-fill, brownfield and less-biodiversity-rich sites have been exhausted. That is simply not the case with Redwood’s proposed “Scotland Park” housing estate. The green spaces around Haslemere should not be treated by Waverley BC as an asset simply to be stripped and turned into profit for developer investors. There are only 46 AONBs in the United Kingdom; Red Court land is part of the Surrey Hills AONB.
AONB land loss
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The over- development plan devastating 75 acres of prime AONB for the sake of a personal profit. |
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 south of the High Street, most importantly the current proposals on the 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. Redwood have 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 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 Redwood giving open access to its land to the Scouts and schoolchildren, if it truly cares about their needs. (When something sounds too good to be true, it usually is!)
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 this will come up for consultation again in the summer, when we hope that the new Town Council with new Councillors will join us in opposing the development.
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 Redwood’s planned housing estate, 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 south of the High Street, most importantly the current proposals on the 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. Redwood have 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 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 Redwood giving open access to its land to the Scouts and schoolchildren, if it truly cares about their needs. (When something sounds too good to be true, it usually is!)
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 this will come up for consultation again in the summer, when we hope that the new Town Council with new Councillors will join us in opposing the development.
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 Redwood’s planned housing estate, 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 influence the allocation of any AONB or AONB-candidate land to development in the next draft of Waverley’s Local Plan.
- Summer – 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 Redwood 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!