Update published on 22nd July by HWRA regarding the proposed Pine Ridge Housing Development
Many residents have expressed their unhappiness at this proposal and we thought it would be helpful to update you on action and investigations taken so far by HWRA.
*The Proposal*
Persimmon Homes in conjunction with Pine Ridge Golf Club and Frimley Fuel Allotments Charity (FFA) are proposing to build approximately 80 homes on the land that is currently used as the 10th hole of the golf course and the boundary area onto Old Bisley Road. Following the loss of the 10th hole the golf course would be remodelled so that 18 holes can be accommodated over the remaining area currently occupied.
*The Issues*
1. The local area is already experiencing significant development with approximately 120 homes currently under construction on the former Ridgewood Centre site (directly opposite the proposed development) and approximately 1200 homes waiting construction on the Princess Royal Barracks site about 1 mile away in Deepcut. These are all being built without any additional infrastructure provision with the exception of a new Primary School as part of the Deepcut Development. There is already significant strain on local schools, roads, doctors surgeries and hospital. It is therefore felt that there should be no further development allowed before the impact of the existing allowed developments has been assessed, which obviously requires waiting until their completion and full occupancy.
2. This is perceived as the ‘thin end of the wedge’ and if this proposal were to go through there would eventually be further proposals to develop the whole site with upwards of 1,000 homes (the lower number as submitted on the current call for sites list by SHBC). If this happens then the only significant remaining area of green space in the western side of Surrey Heath that is currently accessible to the general public will be eroded until no further reasonable open green space is left. It will also result in the removal of the delineation that currently exists between Camberley and Deepcut, so that Deepcut (as expanded) would eventually become another suburb of Camberley and no longer be a distinct entity.
3. A Woodland TPO currently covers the whole of the Pine Ridge site, this essentially means that the woodland as a whole is deemed to merit protection and so all trees existing and subsequent to the granting of the order are protected. The proposal as it stands includes the removal of approximately 300 trees covered by the TPO. To mitigate this there is a proposal to plant 600 new trees (so a 2 for 1 basis) but there is no indication of where it is proposed that this will take place, so as far as we know, it could be hundreds of miles away!
4. The land that is proposed to be developed is owned by Frimley Fuel Allotments Charity and leased to Pine Ridge Golf Centre. The Charity is managed, in accordance with their constitution, by a minimum of 11 trustees, of which 4 are also Surrey Heath Borough Councillors. There is therefore some concern that there is a conflict of interest between the roles of trustees and the roles of Borough Councillors in the decision making behind this proposal. There is further concern that if a planning application were to proceed, several Councillors on the Planning Committee are either existing trustees or past trustees of the Charity, and therefore conflicted.
*What has the HWRA committee been doing?*
Over the last two weeks since these proposals became public knowledge the committee have met twice to discuss and research into the above issues and also to formulate what kind of response we should be making.
On Monday 16th July three of the committee members attended the consultation event held at Pine Ridge at various times during the day, with Katherine Sargent spending approximately 2.5 hours there discussing with locals in the evening. As a result of this our email list has grown significantly and we will be doing all we can to keep everyone up to date. Following this meeting we discussed the proposal to hold a additional meeting where we could invite the key players to present to the residents regarding this proposal and answer any questions we may have. If such a meeting is to be held, which is evidently dependent on the cooperation of the organisations involved and arranging a suitable mutually convenient time, then we envisage that it would be likely to take place in early September.
Over the last two weeks we have been carrying out quite a significant amount of research into the Frimley Fuel Allotments charity and its history, in particular looking at issues that arose, and how they were addressed, during the proposal to turn part of the land into a golf course. It is important to note that there are already plenty of examples of pieces of land which were previously FFA land that are now being used for housing or school sites. Therefore, it is unlikely that the Frimley Fuel Allotments Charity selling off their land for development could be used as a legitimate reason to object or considered a breach of their constitution.
We have also been researching the various land classifications in the area, in particular focussing on the fact that this is the only significant area designated as Countryside Beyond the Green Belt remaining in Surrey Heath (all other areas are either Green Belt or covered by SSSI/SPA protection) and therefore the only remaining large area of land that can easily be developed.
On Friday 20th July Caroline and Katherine met with Michael Gove MP to discuss the proposed development and the issues as highlighted above. He was broadly sympathetic to the issues and mentioned that we presented our arguments well. As a result of that meeting he is going to write to Karen Whelan, the CEO of Surrey Heath Borough Council, and he will share that with us so that we can share with the wider public. He has also made suggestions as to what further we can do and we will be looking to follow up on these and also make sure that he is kept fully up to date with any further developments.
*What can you do?*
At the moment there is no formal planning application submitted and therefore any objections being made to the council will need to be resubmitted against the planning application when it is made. This doesn’t mean that there is nothing to be gained by objecting now, in particular making your feelings known to your local councillors, but please remember to do it again when the time comes!
Where you have specialist knowledge, local historical knowledge, or access to any documents in relation to the FFA then please come forward to help us put our case together.
Please continue to support Pine Ridge Golf Club so that they can continue to prosper doing what they currently do and no longer feel the need to redevelop the land.
Review and respond to the current draft Local Plan at https://www.surreyheath.gov.uk/…/planning-policy/draft-loca… (responses in by 30 July 2018). In particular comment on the sections 2 and 3 (Spatial Strategy and Housing).
Join our mailing list at [email protected]
*What do we want to do next?*
We are continuing to research the use of the land and what can and cannot be done with it. Some of our future action as a community, could well depend on the outcome of this research.
We will be looking to engage with the following: The Trustees of Frimley Fuel Allotments Charity; Heatherside Borough Councillors; Councillor members of the Planning Committee.
We will be attempting to arrange a meeting for residents solely on this subject where we can invite the businesses behind the proposal to talk and take questions from the local community.
We will be considering as a longer term aim, what protection can be placed on the area in future to safeguard it from future development and maintain the green space gap between Camberley and Deepcut.
We hope you find this information useful. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any comments or would like to offer any suggestions or actions we could take.
*The Proposal*
Persimmon Homes in conjunction with Pine Ridge Golf Club and Frimley Fuel Allotments Charity (FFA) are proposing to build approximately 80 homes on the land that is currently used as the 10th hole of the golf course and the boundary area onto Old Bisley Road. Following the loss of the 10th hole the golf course would be remodelled so that 18 holes can be accommodated over the remaining area currently occupied.
*The Issues*
1. The local area is already experiencing significant development with approximately 120 homes currently under construction on the former Ridgewood Centre site (directly opposite the proposed development) and approximately 1200 homes waiting construction on the Princess Royal Barracks site about 1 mile away in Deepcut. These are all being built without any additional infrastructure provision with the exception of a new Primary School as part of the Deepcut Development. There is already significant strain on local schools, roads, doctors surgeries and hospital. It is therefore felt that there should be no further development allowed before the impact of the existing allowed developments has been assessed, which obviously requires waiting until their completion and full occupancy.
2. This is perceived as the ‘thin end of the wedge’ and if this proposal were to go through there would eventually be further proposals to develop the whole site with upwards of 1,000 homes (the lower number as submitted on the current call for sites list by SHBC). If this happens then the only significant remaining area of green space in the western side of Surrey Heath that is currently accessible to the general public will be eroded until no further reasonable open green space is left. It will also result in the removal of the delineation that currently exists between Camberley and Deepcut, so that Deepcut (as expanded) would eventually become another suburb of Camberley and no longer be a distinct entity.
3. A Woodland TPO currently covers the whole of the Pine Ridge site, this essentially means that the woodland as a whole is deemed to merit protection and so all trees existing and subsequent to the granting of the order are protected. The proposal as it stands includes the removal of approximately 300 trees covered by the TPO. To mitigate this there is a proposal to plant 600 new trees (so a 2 for 1 basis) but there is no indication of where it is proposed that this will take place, so as far as we know, it could be hundreds of miles away!
4. The land that is proposed to be developed is owned by Frimley Fuel Allotments Charity and leased to Pine Ridge Golf Centre. The Charity is managed, in accordance with their constitution, by a minimum of 11 trustees, of which 4 are also Surrey Heath Borough Councillors. There is therefore some concern that there is a conflict of interest between the roles of trustees and the roles of Borough Councillors in the decision making behind this proposal. There is further concern that if a planning application were to proceed, several Councillors on the Planning Committee are either existing trustees or past trustees of the Charity, and therefore conflicted.
*What has the HWRA committee been doing?*
Over the last two weeks since these proposals became public knowledge the committee have met twice to discuss and research into the above issues and also to formulate what kind of response we should be making.
On Monday 16th July three of the committee members attended the consultation event held at Pine Ridge at various times during the day, with Katherine Sargent spending approximately 2.5 hours there discussing with locals in the evening. As a result of this our email list has grown significantly and we will be doing all we can to keep everyone up to date. Following this meeting we discussed the proposal to hold a additional meeting where we could invite the key players to present to the residents regarding this proposal and answer any questions we may have. If such a meeting is to be held, which is evidently dependent on the cooperation of the organisations involved and arranging a suitable mutually convenient time, then we envisage that it would be likely to take place in early September.
Over the last two weeks we have been carrying out quite a significant amount of research into the Frimley Fuel Allotments charity and its history, in particular looking at issues that arose, and how they were addressed, during the proposal to turn part of the land into a golf course. It is important to note that there are already plenty of examples of pieces of land which were previously FFA land that are now being used for housing or school sites. Therefore, it is unlikely that the Frimley Fuel Allotments Charity selling off their land for development could be used as a legitimate reason to object or considered a breach of their constitution.
We have also been researching the various land classifications in the area, in particular focussing on the fact that this is the only significant area designated as Countryside Beyond the Green Belt remaining in Surrey Heath (all other areas are either Green Belt or covered by SSSI/SPA protection) and therefore the only remaining large area of land that can easily be developed.
On Friday 20th July Caroline and Katherine met with Michael Gove MP to discuss the proposed development and the issues as highlighted above. He was broadly sympathetic to the issues and mentioned that we presented our arguments well. As a result of that meeting he is going to write to Karen Whelan, the CEO of Surrey Heath Borough Council, and he will share that with us so that we can share with the wider public. He has also made suggestions as to what further we can do and we will be looking to follow up on these and also make sure that he is kept fully up to date with any further developments.
*What can you do?*
At the moment there is no formal planning application submitted and therefore any objections being made to the council will need to be resubmitted against the planning application when it is made. This doesn’t mean that there is nothing to be gained by objecting now, in particular making your feelings known to your local councillors, but please remember to do it again when the time comes!
Where you have specialist knowledge, local historical knowledge, or access to any documents in relation to the FFA then please come forward to help us put our case together.
Please continue to support Pine Ridge Golf Club so that they can continue to prosper doing what they currently do and no longer feel the need to redevelop the land.
Review and respond to the current draft Local Plan at https://www.surreyheath.gov.uk/…/planning-policy/draft-loca… (responses in by 30 July 2018). In particular comment on the sections 2 and 3 (Spatial Strategy and Housing).
Join our mailing list at [email protected]
*What do we want to do next?*
We are continuing to research the use of the land and what can and cannot be done with it. Some of our future action as a community, could well depend on the outcome of this research.
We will be looking to engage with the following: The Trustees of Frimley Fuel Allotments Charity; Heatherside Borough Councillors; Councillor members of the Planning Committee.
We will be attempting to arrange a meeting for residents solely on this subject where we can invite the businesses behind the proposal to talk and take questions from the local community.
We will be considering as a longer term aim, what protection can be placed on the area in future to safeguard it from future development and maintain the green space gap between Camberley and Deepcut.
We hope you find this information useful. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have any comments or would like to offer any suggestions or actions we could take.