10 December 2018 – CONSULTATION RESPONSE GUIDANCE

At the 2018 AGM on 7 December Cllrs Bowes and Chrystie endorsed two important pieces of advice:

There is a possibility that our two fields either side of Upshot Lane could be reintroduced to the Site Allocation proposals currently under consultation. Firstly as a result of reviewing the consultation responses they could perhaps reintroduce the Upshot Lane fields although the probability is low. A second opportunity might arise as a result of the Secretary of State reviewing proposals and recommending WBC consider changes.
Therefore our community must be in a position to defend the removal of the Upshot Lane fields and this is only possible technically if we have responded to the current consultation.

So the more of us who respond the greater will be our right to speak at the final public hearing held to hear representations from the local community.

SO WE APPEAL TO ALL MEMBERS TO RESPOND TO THE CONSULTATION BY 5PM ON 17 DECEMBER.

You can reply by email to planning.policy@woking.gov.uk, letter to Planning Policy Team, Woking Borough Council, Civic Offices, Gloucester Square, Woking, Surrey GU21 6YL or by completing the WBC electronic form at: WBC Electronic Representation Form

If you reply by email then please remember to give your full address details and importantly include your postcode.

We suggest the form of your response be similar to the wording below:

We believe WBC have made the right decision to drop the Upshot Lane fields from the Site Allocation proposals and are pleased that WBC recognise the validity of objections made at the preliminary Regulation 18 consultation held in June and July 2015. Namely that to include the fields would :

……….
……….

Restate in the list above those issues you quoted in the earlier consultation.

Principal among the objections were the following:

That the process for identifying which parcels of land could be removed from Green Belt was flawed and the scoring criteria inconsistently applied
That the Upshot Lane fields contribute very significantly to the semi-rural setting and character of Pyrford as a whole and if they were built upon the character and setting of the conservation area around St Nicholas Church would suffer enormously..
The amount of land safeguarded for development beyond 2027 (of which our fields were a part) is excessive and therefore the requirements for such land should be revaluated.
Traffic through Pyrford is currently dangerously high for the narrow roads and traffic from a further 500 houses on Upshot Lane would be unsupportable.

13 November 2018 – INITIAL PNF BRIEFING TO MEMBERS

On 18th October, Woking Borough Council approved its draft Site Allocations Development Plan Documents. The good news for Pyrford is that both of the two fields, either side of Upshot Lane, are to remain in the Green Belt. This is in no small part due to the huge number of written objections received by the Council during the Regulation 18 public consultation. Local democracy does work!

While it is appropriate to claim that we have won this round, we cannot yet be sure of the result of the entire campaign. Until formally accepted by the Secretary of State, amendments can still be made. The Council’s Regulation 19 proposal, which hopefully will form the basis of the Council’s presentation to the Secretary of State has now been published for comments from residents and other interested parties. The six week Consultation Period will start on 5th November and finish on 17th December 2018. WBC will then consider residents’ comments, but are unlikely to spend much time analysing these. All responses will be sent, along with the Council’s Resolution (needing a further Council Meeting to approve), to the Secretary of State for examination by an appointed Inspector. It would be unusual for the Regulation 19 proposal sent to the Secretary of State, to differ markedly from the original Regulation 19 proposal, sent to residents for comments.

Apart from the decision over the two Pyrford fields, the WBC are proposing that:-
. 1) Two fields in Byfleet and one in Mayford should be safeguarded (i.e,. removed from Green Belt and available for development post 2027 )
. 2) Three acres should be set aside at West Hall, West Byfleet to provide 15 travellers’ pitches (note: this was a last minute addition, with no prior notification or due process)
. 3) The land North East of Martyrs Lane should remain in the Green Belt, as should other threatened sites in Hook Heath and Mayford.
We cannot be sure that Burhill Estates will not object to the withdrawal of their fields from those earmarked for safeguarding. There is always the possibility of a legal challenge on what might be termed ‘a point of order’, but this would likely be only a delaying tactic. Whatever, objectors have an up-hill battle and although we would expect objectors, in due course, to present their case at the formal public inspection we believe local residents’ opinions will count more heavily.

The key action for Pyrford residents is to send in their comments to WBC during the six week Consultation Period ending on 17th December 2018.

At the very least we would ask you to let the Council know that you are pleased that they have listened to residents’ opinions, such that our fields are to remain in the Green Belt. You may also want to give your thoughts about the decisions over the two Byfleet fields, the land North East of Martyrs Lane and the siting of travellers’ pitches at the East end of the borough. The Council’s preference is for you to complete the online representation form (see www.woking2027.info). Please note that the council counts up every individual response, so try to get every member of your family to submit separate forms. You may also wish to pass this request on to other friends and relatives – it is not necessary to be a Woking resident.

You’ll find more thoughts on the Site Allocations DPD process and on the latest proposals on the PNF website at https://pyrfordforum.org/wbc-development-proposals/ . Full details of the WBC proposals can be found on the Council website at http://www.woking2027.info/allocations .

18 October 2018 – WOKING SITE ALLOCATIONS

CONSULTATION ON POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT SITES ANNOUNCED BY WOKING BOROUGH COUNCIL

At the Full Council Meeting on October 18th, Woking Borough Council published its latest Draft Site Allocations Development Plan (DPD) and announced a new round of public consultation (Regulation 19).

This important consultation started 9am on Monday 5 November 2018 and runs until 5pm on Monday 17 December 2018.

Woking Council Press Release:

“The Council has published its Site Allocations DPD and its accompanying Sustainability Appraisal Report, Habitats Regulations Assessment and Proposals Map for Regulation 19 consultation, also known as the pre-submission or publication consultation. This offers a final opportunity to submit representations before the Publication version of the DPD and supporting documents are submitted to the Secretary of State for Examination….”

12 October 2018 – News at Last ….!!!

On the 10th October Woking Council finally announced proposals for development sites they require up until 2027; also proposals to safeguard development land for the period 2027-2040. The first part of the Press Release is below.

Go to ‘Latest News’ for the full document.