On Friday Mole Valley District Council announced that it wants to allow Barratt Homes to build 500 homes, 200 of them affordable, on land near Leatherhead bypass, part of which is greenbelt and another part allotments.

The council leader argued that the development would help revive Leatherhead's flagging economy as well as providing much-needed homes in the area.

So reporter Emily Hodgkin went onto the streets of Leatherhead yesterday to see if locals agree...

Your Local Guardian:

Peter Horitz, 63, Cancer Research volunteer: "For me it depends on the housing. If it is affordable housing then it’s not too bad.

"Leatherhead town centre is dying. It’s all just charity shops, restaurant and barber shops. If they built these new homes they’d have to do something to revive the town centre.

"Most people are against it because it is green belt land, so it’s easy to oppose, but we need affordable housing. It is difficult for young families to move here because the houses are expensive."

Your Local Guardian: Ashley Baker, 45, owner of Chimes Cafe "I am open-minded personally but I care more about the town than about whether it’s good for business.

"The council were going to get a big dollop of cash for the supermarket they were planning on building but that didn’t go through, so it’s clear this plan is to make up for that loss, as it were.

"There will be minus and pluses. I’m not sure if it will be beneficial, I want to wait and see more details."

Your Local Guardian: James Hewings, 25, senior sales negotiator at Huggins Edwards & Sharp: Estate Agents "It can only be a good thing. We need more housing, especially in our business."

Your Local Guardian: Pete Caldwell-Barr, 64, sales assistant at Building Suppliers Ltd: "It will be favourable for some businesses, but maybe not for all.

"Leatherhead is not well set up in terms of local facilities. We haven’t even got a Nandos for a start.

"There is not enough commercial infrastructure to support another 500 families, but maybe this will be a catalyst to provoke some thinking about how we do things here."

Your Local Guardian: Sean Markham, 23, assistant bar manager: "I think it seems like a brilliant idea. The country is growing. We need to build 250,000 new homes a year to accommodate the people moving here.

"On the flip side, I moved here because it was quiet and I could see how it would be quite annoying.

"A lot of people move here because it’s peaceful and in the commuter belt. It has its ups and downs."

Your Local Guardian: Louise Dymond, 46, manager of Bockett’s Farm Park: "I really wouldn’t want the new homes. Allotments are very important for the community.

"We don’t need more houses. If they are built where are all the people who move here going to send their children to school or go to hospital? There are just not enough facilities."

Your Local Guardian: Phil Rennie, 39, marketing manager: "I think it is a good thing. There isn’t enough housing. I have sympathy for the greenbelt but we simply need new housing."

Your Local Guardian: Sue Ray, 26, marketing and communications assistant: "We definitely need affordable housing. I’m all up for it because we have been struggling for years.

"If they sort out parking for residents then yes, it should go ahead. The parking here is terrible already.

"We have nowhere to park on our road, nowhere to park for work. If they create more parking then it will be a good thing for Leatherhead."

Your Local Guardian: Sue Hodge, 67, retired: "I’ve already signed lots of petitions against the use of land for housing. The traffic is going to be terrible.

"What are they going to do with all the cars? What about schools and medical practices? There is not enough in Leatherhead to support 1,500 new residents."

Your Local Guardian: Wilfred Aigbomobe, 36, motivational speaker: "I think if that amount of people comes here it will be a good thing. It will make for much more interaction amongst people and make it much busier.

"If more people live here there will be more opportunities, not just socially, but for business also. People who come into this community may be wishing to start businesses, and that would be great for Leatherhead."

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