Surrey will gain three new housing developments following Vail Williams securing planning permission for Thakeham Homes and Linden Homes South.
Vail Williams has successfully overturned a refusal of planning permission by Guildford Borough Council for 24 new homes in Epsom Road on appeal. The scheme to be named Wellington Grove, will provide a mix of dwelling types and sizes including affordable homes.
Linden Homes South is set to breathe new life into the site, which is currently home to a vacant care home closed by Surrey County Council two years prior. Despite some previous uncertainty surrounding the future of the site, Vail Williams presented a compelling case to the Planning Inspectorate securing redevelopment of this brownfield land.
This previously developed site lies well within the defined settlement of Guildford, and provides a sustainable location for new homes. Close to everyday facilities and services, it benefits from easy access to the city centre, and is surrounded by residential and community properties, making it ideally suited for residential development. The development’s name, Wellington Grove, has derived from the Wellingtonia tree that stands tall at the development.
Robin Pearmain, Senior Planning Manager, Linden Homes South said: “We are delighted that our proposals have now received planning approval. It is important that housing is delivered in Guildford and our scheme creates a fantastic opportunity to regenerate a vacant brownfield site with a varied mix of new homes, including much needed affordable homes. We are now looking to commence work on site in April this year.”
In addition to this, Vail Williams achieved another two planning successes for Thakeham Homes, including planning permission for the development of 21 homes at Knights Park in the Surrey Village of Godstone (the scheme is almost completed), as well as Reserved Matters planning for 26 new homes on Foreman Road, Ash, Guildford.
All three sites fall in-line with the recent promises stated in the Government Housing White Paper; the Government has specified that homes will be available in the ‘right places’ by regenerating existing sites, maximising the contribution from brownfield land, releasing more small and medium-sized sites and allowing rural communities to grow to assist in easing the current housing crisis.
Vail Williams planning division worked closely with key groups/members to ensure this was granted. James Lacey, Partner at Vail Williams Guildford office said: “Our consultation with key stakeholders achieved great interest in the sites. We’re pleased that our strong local connections and expertise has enabled us to secure planning for the three developments in Surrey for Linden Homes South and Thakeham Homes. The future for these developments appears very bright and it’s great to see plans for such a positive use of brownfield land come to life, enabling developers to bring much needed housing stock to the region.”
Knights Park went through a thorough negotiation period whereby Vail Williams liaised with Tandridge District Council, two Parish Councils and followed a community engagement event to see through the planning application. The development is set amongst rural surroundings, within the green belt.
The Outline planning for the Thakeham Homes development in Foreman Road, Ash was achieved at appeal by Vail Williams, who then charted extensive negotiations with the Planning Officers, Design Officer and other members of Guildford Borough Council to grant the development Reserved Matters permission for the scheme, set to provide 26 new homes, a local play area and open space to Ash, Guildford.
Sophia Thorpe, Head of Planning, Thakeham Homes said: “We are delighted with the positive determinations for our schemes at Godstone and Ash; both of which were challenging and required a strong consultant team to achieve the positive determinations. The planning team at Vail Williams played a key role in supporting us in achieved those consents.”
