As mentioned in a previous post, Elmbridge Borough Council has begun a public consultation to remove three areas from our local Green Belt, two of which are in the Cobham area.
The three areas concerned are:-
- North of Blundel Lane in the Knowle Hill Park, Fairmile Park and Polyapes areas, Stoke D'Abernon (Local Area Ref 14).
- Chippings Farm and the Fairmile between the Portsmouth Road and the A3, Cobham (Local Area Ref 20).
- Land north of the A309 and east & west of Woodstock Lane North, Long Ditton (Local Area Ref 58).
This consultation process will conclude on the 10 February 2017.
You can find out more about what is proposed and how it might affect you by attending one of the drop in sessions provided by the council as detailed below and by reading the documentation on the Elmbridge Borough Council website via the following link:
consult.elmbridge.gov.uk/consult.ti/lpsoc/consultationHome
Council Drop in Sessions
| Date | Time | Venue |
| Tue 10 January 2017 | 7-9pm | Lecture Hall, 1st Floor Weybridge Library, Church St, Weybridge KT13 8DE |
| Wed 11 January 2017 | 7-9pm | Cobham Community Centre, Oakdene Road, Cobham KT11 2LY |
| Tue 17 January 2017 | 2pm | Stoke d’Abernon Village Hall, Station Road, Stoke D'Abernon KT11 3BN |
| Thu 19 January 2017 | 7-9pm | Hinchley Wood Secondary School, Claygate Lane, Esher KT10 0AQ |
| Mon 23 January 2017 | 7-9pm | Cecil Hepworth Playhouse, Bridge Street, Walton-on-Thames KT12 1AU |
| Thu 26 January 2017 | 7-9pm | Civic Centre, High Street, Esher KT10 9SD |
| Sat 4 February 2017 | 10-2pm | Civic Centre, High Street, Esher KT10 9SD |
It is vital that you let the council know your thoughts and concerns by responding to the consultation either by using the online consultation portal questionnaire or you can print out the Response Form and e-mail it to the council at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or post it Planning Policy, Planning Services, Elmbridge Borough Council, Civic Centre, High Street, Esher, KT10 9SD.
Our team is analysing the information provided and we will provide more information on this website which we feel will be helpful during this consultaion period.
Other local organisations including Cobham Conservation and Heritage Trust, Cobham & Downside Residents' Assoc., Stoke D'Abernon Residents' Assoc. and Oxshott Residents' Assoc. are also very concerned and you will no doubt hear from them if you are a member.
To ensure you are kept informed please subscribe to our Cobham Green Belt newsletter by clicking here www.cobhamgreenbelt.org.uk/index.php/get-involved or contact one of the organisations mentioned above.
Elmbridge Borough Council has reassessed its housing need through to 2035 and concluded that it will need to nearly double the number of new houses built to 474 per annum. This cannot be met from existing brown field sites alone and it will have a massive impact on our green belt.
One of the options is to classify that part of the green belt as "weakly performing" and make it available for development. Elmbridge BC has classified three areas as such; two of which are in the Cobham area:-
- Chippings Farm between the Fairmile and the A3
- North of Blundel Lane in the Knowle Hill Park and Fairmile Park areas
We are not talking about a few houses but big estates.
If these proposals were carried through they would have a devastating effect on our community:
- * The number of houses in Cobham and surrounding areas could nearly double in the next 20 years.
- * Cobham, Stoke D'Abernon and Oxshott would merge into one in terms of the built environment.
- * The infrastructure would be overwhelmed in terms of roads with even greater traffic gridlock, car parking, doctors' and dentists' facilities and schools.
There is at present no joined up thinking between local authorities. The Guildford proposal for over 2000 houses at Wisley has now been appealed and there will be a public enquiry. If this were to go ahead it will put massive pressure on our infrastructure before even thinking about Elmbridge's proposals above.
The key dates are:
- * Full Council meeting 7:45pm Wednesday 7th December 2016 and, if approved:
- * Public consultation starting Thursday 15th December for 8 weeks till early February 2017
One of our senior Elmbridge councillors, Cllr James Browne, has agreed to speak at the next Cobham Conservation & Heritage Trust open meeting at the Cobham Village Hall, Lushington Drive on Wednesday 14th December at 8pm. More details at www.cobhamheritage.org.uk