This article has been written by Tim Jotischky in support of the Wisley Action Group, who oppose the plans put forward by The Taylor Wimpey Association involving a new town being built in Wisley, Surrey.

A coalition of community and environmental groups is leading the opposition to plans for a new town at Wisley in Surrey.

More than 1,200 objections have been submitted to the proposed Taylor Wimpey development and several organisations are now writing an Open Letter to Guildford Borough Council, urging them to block the application, which is due to be considered in the first half of the year.

The Open Letter warns that the 1,730-home development would have "a devastating environmental impact on the area and irreversibly damage its character…it would be an unsuitable and unsustainable development which would cause permanent damage to our community".

A previous planning application for the former Wisley Airfield site was refused on 14 grounds and the council's decision was upheld by the Secretary of State in 2018, despite an appeal by the developers.

The letter says that the reasons for rejecting the application remain valid, including the damage it would inflict on the Thames Basin Heath Special Protection Area, threatening important wildlife habitats, and the impact that thousands of additional cars would have on local roads and air quality. The signatories warn that the development would put an impossible strain on local schools, medical facilities and other public services, and result in the loss of more than 150 acres of prime agricultural land.

Signatories include The Community Planning Alliance, CPRE Surrey, Cobham and Downside Residents Association, West Surrey Badger Trust and East Horsley, Elmbridge and Send Parish Councils.

A wide array of businesses, public bodies and local organisations have formally objected to the planning application, including Surrey County Council; Heathrow and Gatwick Airports; the RSPB; the Royal Horticultural Society; and the Surrey Wildlife Trust.

Surrey and Sussex Police have warned in a joint letter to Guildford Borough Council that a development of this size would be expected to lead to an additional 741 incidents a year for Surrey Police to attend. They predict that it would cause 222 additional recorded crimes per year in the neighbourhood, with more than 3,400 additional emergency calls and more than 8,200 non-emergency calls. The forces say they would need increased funding to meet the additional pressure on their resources.

Guildford Borough Council's planning committee was due to consider the Taylor Wimpey application at a special meeting in March, but campaigners say that crucial information about the impact on transport and other services has yet to be provided and expect it be postponed.

Tony Edwards, press officer for the Wisley Action Group, said: "There is widespread opposition to the Taylor Wimpey development from residents, businesses, public bodies, environmental organisations and community groups. The site in Wisley is not suitable for large scale development and Guilford councillors must listen to the growing clamour for this ill-conceived plan to be scrapped, just as it was five years ago, and for the site to be returned to greenfield use."

The full text of the Open Letter reads:

"We are writing to express our opposition to the proposed Taylor Wimpey development of more than 1,730 homes on the former Wisley Airfield, which will have a devastating environmental impact on the area and irreversibly damage its character.

A previous planning application was refused on 14 separate grounds, a decision upheld by the Secretary of State in 2018 after the developers lodged an unsuccessful appeal.

The reasons for rejecting the new application are as compelling as they were five years ago. If allowed to go ahead, the development would:

·      Harm the Thames Basin Heath Special Protection Area, a nationally sensitive location of heathland, threatening protected species such as the woodlark, nightjar and Dartford Warbler, and damaging the habitat of local wildlife.

·      Put thousands of extra cars on to rural lanes that cannot cope with the traffic.

·      Contribute an additional 15,000 tonnes of CO emissions per year, damaging the air quality.

·      Remove more than 150 acres of prime agricultural land from the area at a time of mounting concern over food security.

·      Put an impossible strain on local infrastructure, notably schools and medical facilities, water and sewerage.

·      Destroy the character of Ockham, a historic village with 29 Grade II listed buildings and a Grade I listed church.

In 2019, Guildford Borough Council formally declared a 'Climate Emergency' for the Borough, requiring urgent action and set a zero emissions target for 2030. Permitting a new town to be built on a site of ecological significance is incompatible with this objective.

The former Wisley Airfield site was inexplicably stripped of Green Belt status in the Local Plan three years ago, purportedly to meet housing targets, yet there are serious questions regarding an overestimate in housing need. The Office for Statistics and Regulations [OSR] found that estimates for Guildford "seem to be inconsistent with and potentially higher than local evidence would suggest".

Last year, Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove told MPs the Government was abandoning top-down targets, saying there was no objective way to calculate how many new homes are needed in an area.

We urge Guildford Borough Council to respond by rejecting plans for Wisley New Town: it would be an unsuitable and unsustainable development which would cause permanent damage to our community.