Developers appeal against Tongham housing refusal

AN appeal has been launched against the refusal of permission for the building of 63 homes on Grange Road in Tongham.

Last month Guildford Borough Council threw out the scheme, which would have included 22 affordable homes, with the majority of the development made up of three-bedroom properties, as well as one single-bed, 17 two-bed and 14 four-bedroom homes.

The appeal by Gleeson Strategic Land, which was submitted earlier this month, means Guildford’s reasons for refusing the application will now be scrutinised by the national planning inspectorate.

Last month campaigners against building on the triangle of land between Grange Road and the A331 were given hope when a separate application for 56 homes on Grange Road was withdrawn after planning officers recommended the scheme would be recommended for refusal.

Nick Sutcliffe, a ward councillor, said last month that the presence of the draft local plan may already have been causing a chill in application for large-scale residential development in Tongham, arguing that the village needed a greater number of jobs rather than houses.

The local plan, which will set out the council’s development vision in the borough over the next 17 years, is currently out for public consultation.

Local residents object to building on the triangular parcel of land on the basis that the traffic on Grange Road is already extremely bad at peak times and that the area is susceptible to flooding.

The Poyle Road Campaign Group and Tongham Parish Council both object the 63home scheme.

An appeal hearing to decide the application will be held on Tuesday September 9 at Guildford Borough Council’s Millmead offices in Guildford town centre.