Lib Dems say 'Think again on housing numbers'

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 17th Oct 2005

Following last Thursday's decision of Guildford Borough Council's Executive Committee to accept a proposal for 6,400 extra houses to be built in the borough over the next 20 years, Liberal Democrat councillors Merilyn Spier, Liz Hogger and Vivienne Johnson have 'called-in' the decision. It will now be re-considered by the borough's Environment Scrutiny Committee on 24 October. The Conservative Executive was responding to a consultation on housing distribution in Surrey that forms part of the draft South East Plan, and agreed to support the County Council's 'preferred option', which is for Guildford to deliver 320 dwellings per year over the next 20 years, a total of 6,400 extra homes within the urban areas and the villages by 2026.

Lib Dem councillors argue that the South East Plan should use the Borough Council's own estimate of the number of houses which could be fitted into Guildford, rather than the County Council's figure. Cllr Merilyn Spier (Lib Dem, Merrow), Liberal Democrat spokesperson on planning policy, is worried that the County Council's figure of 6,400 is an estimate calculated on historical trends. Guildford's average rate of house-building over the last five years was only 297 per year, and this average was boosted by the large number of new homes built on redundant MoD land in Queen Elizabeth Park in Stoughton.

Cllr Spier said "Guildford is fast using up its land reserves, and the super-high density housing proposed by the county council is simply not acceptable. It would damage both the character of our historic town and the quality of life for all our residents. Our roads cannot cope with the extra traffic, and our communities will struggle unless we get firm guarantees that schools, health services and other essential services will be improved to meet the increased demand."

The Lib Dem 'call-in' asks the Executive to think again on their response to the County Council consultation. Cllr Spier says "I was dismayed that the Executive meekly agreed to the County Council's proposal to cram so many extra houses into our town and villages. We all believe that the green belt must be protected, but that's no excuse for giving in to County Council pressure which could ruin our town and the quality of life for everyone. This whole consultation exercise is flawed. We have been given a false choice, and we should protest vigorously."