Councillors set look to approve plans to build 74 homes on fields south of a Mayford school.

Proposals by Cala Homes to develop land between Hoe Valley School, Edwins Garden Centre and the London to Portsmouth railway will come before Woking Borough Council this evening (Tuesday, June 2).

There has been local opposition with 54 objections being submitted amid concerns about the impact on local traffic, infrastructure and essential services.

Some have called the proposals for the 4.1 hectare site too dense and “out of scale” while others have worries about the loss of trees and habitat.

There are also worries about the cumulative effect as applications for 309 properties on nearby Saunders Lane were also recently submitted by another developer.

The proposed developments would effectively double the size of Mayford should all three win approval, potentially altering the character of the village forever.

There’s also been some very public protests against the wave of housing proposed for the village and loss of green belt land, with demonstrations coinciding with a packed public held by Woking MP Will Forster in Mayford Village Hall.

However, the site south of Hoe Valley School has been allocated for housing by WBC with approval being recommended to their planning committee ahead of tonight’s meeting.

Planning officer, Barry Curran, has highlighted the site’s good connections and the high percentage of affordable housing put forward by the applicants in his report.

He wrote: “The proposed development delivers substantive public benefits which weighs in favour of approval.

“These include the delivery of 74 new homes on an allocated site, of which 37 – 50 per cent – are affordable homes split between affordable rent and shared ownership.

“The proposed scheme has been carefully conceived as an exemplary landscape-led layout.

“The scheme delivers 74 new homes in a mix of sizes and tenures, from 1-bedroom apartments to 4-bedroom houses. The housing mix provides a range of dwelling types, including family housing, to meet identified local needs.”

New open space, a children’s play area and the retention and enhancement of woodland at the southern side of the side has also been proposed, with the latter not currently accessible to the public.

The level of engagement that Cala homes has made with WBC, Surrey County Council, the Surrey Wildlife Trust and similar partners has also been noted.

The planning committee meeting is due to begin at 7pm this evening at the council chamber in the Civic Offices.