25/9/2003

Local News

New plan seeks affordable housing at Manor Farm

The application by Cardinal Homes Limited has previously been delayed from appearing before the planning committee while amendments were made.
The revised application is for 32 units — an additional eight units on the previous plans. The extra will provide eight affordable housing units.
Developer Richard Greed said: “The plan was previously reduced to 24 units but we were advised by the council that it wanted to see affordable housing included.
“The eight affordable housing units are what the local authority require of us and it is what central government requires of the local authority.
“Originally we would have had one large dwelling separate from the rest but that is now not part of the application.
“The development will take place within a similar footprint to the main buildings, excluding the workshop.”
The application has been altered several times but Mr Greed is hopeful the latest plans will win favour with Woking Borough Council.
He said: “The 32 units looks the right layout and to my mind is the correct density.
“The revised scheme seems to me to meet the wishes of all interested parties so hopefully it will receive consent.”
The site is effectively made up of three parts, one of which is a 20-acre area of water meadow.
This part of the plans remains unchanged from the original and the area is to be gifted to the Surrey Wildlife Trust.
The trust will, in turn, continue making fishing rights available to the Byfleet Angling Society by granting a long term lease.
The farmland area will be handed over to Woking Borough Council and the remaining land, which spans around two acres, will include the footprint for the 32 units.
The planning application will now go out for public consultation and will come before the planning committee at its meeting in November

First printed in: Byfleet News and Mail