Fifty homes proposed for Wood Street Village near Guildford despite community objections
Plans include affordable housing and a new parish office despite dozens of objections
Plans for fifty new homes in Wood Street Village near Guildford are set to go before councillors next week, despite objections from the community.
Housebuilder Bewley Homes wants to build the properties, along with a new parish office building for Worplesdon Parish Council, on land at Hester's Yard.
Planning officers at Guildford Borough Council are recommending that the scheme be approved when it goes before the authority's planning committee.
The application covers the erection of fifty residential units alongside a parish office building, new vehicle and pedestrian access, landscaping, car parking, a play area and community open space with facilities for young people and adults.
Of the fifty homes, twenty five are expected to be set aside as affordable housing.
According to the applicant's planning documents, the site is in a highly sustainable location, which is acknowledged by the council, and the proposal is said to provide several material planning benefits.
The documents state that the mix of housing sizes is considered an appropriate balance of unit type and size to meet the requirements for both private and affordable accommodation in the area.
The applicant says it worked closely with the parish council in agreeing the housing mix.
More than twenty objections have been submitted against the plans.
Many of these relate to the potential loss of commercial premises on the site if the development goes ahead.
One resident said the site provides income for the many full and part time staff who work there, describing it as essential to the livelihoods of local workers.
Other objections focus on the impact on the existing village.
Another resident said the extra homes would make already heavy traffic unsustainable and cause further damage to local roads.
In response, the applicant's planning documents state that the proposal does not result in the complete loss of employment, as it includes a commercial building which is said to be more in keeping with the character of the surrounding area.
Planning officers have recommended the scheme for approval ahead of next week's meeting.
In their report, officers said there are no national decision making policies indicating that the development should be refused, nor any other considerations suggesting it should be turned down.
They added that the presumption in favour of sustainable development is therefore engaged across the whole site, both in the settlement and in the green belt.
The application will be considered by Guildford Borough Council's planning committee.