Residents' views about allowing development in two areas of greenbelt around Ashtead are being scrutinised following a web survey and a public meeting at the weekend.

Ashtead Neighbourhood Forum formed last January, in response to the Localism Act 2012, in order to give residents a chance to shape future development in the area.  Mole Valley Council has said more land is needed to build 2,200 new homes by 2026.

Last November, the forum published its Greenbelt Land Boundary report, which set out its views on development in the area. 

It considered 10 greenbelt locations in Ashtead and their potential for development against a threefold criteria: whether the area contributes towards preventing merging with another town; whether changes would encroach into the countryside; and whether the area contributes to the character and setting of a historic town.

Two locations were identified as having potential for change. 

The report stated that the boundary around Farm Lane, in Ashtead East, "could be moved so that it is congruent with the adjoining greenbelt boundaries as the current boundary makes little contribution to greenbelt objectives". 

The second area identified is between the Emryn Way Fields West and the M25, on which the report said: "The current greenbelt boundary could be considered for amendment and moved to the strong M25 boundary to the south."

The two locations proposed were not considered to be significantly impacted in terms of the three criteria if changes were to be introduced.

A survey asking people to comment on the report on the forum's website closed on Monday. 

A two-hour open morning on the proposals was attended by 300 people, at the Ashtead Peace Memorial Hall on Saturday.

Andy Ellis, founder of Ashtead Community Vision (ACV), the working group of the forum, said ACV will now consider the responses and make any amendments to the report, which will eventually be submitted to Mole Valley Council, which has the final say on how the greenbelt boundaries could be redrawn. 

He said: "It’s fair to say the majority of people who have completed the survey have said there is some part of it with which they don’t agree. 

"But there are also many parts with which they do agree.

"If a number of people say ‘I don’t want any change’ we would note that. 

"But for people to change the actual findings it needs people to say that there is something incorrect in terms of the way we have made our assessments of the areas." 

Mr Ellis added: "We will be putting a revised report forward to the forum, from which a final report will be published, together with all the comments, which will then be submitted to Mole Valley District Council.

"The event we held on Saturday was very well-attended and we’re pleased to see that the community of Ashtead is making its comments.  That’s the purpose of this exercise."

 

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