The so-called “final piece” of the Wisley New Settlement has been given the green light.

The last 200 homes of the 2,000 piece jigsaw near the former Wisley Airfield have finally been approved despite fierce local opposition.

Up to 200 new homes on Surrey farmland, near Hatch Lane in Ockham, were given the thumbs up by Guildford Borough Council’s planning committee on February 5. Residents have warned the scheme would “destroy” the area’s rural character.

Several councillors and residents spoke out against the proposal, arguing it would permanently change the landscape. Cllr Imogen Jamieson said the development would cause irreversible harm to the countryside.

“No buffer will be sufficient to prevent the harm that will be caused to centuries-old rural character and tranquillity,” she said. “It will transform it completely from its existing green agricultural state into an urban configuration.”

She warned that views across the countryside would be “totally destroyed” and questioned whether the development was truly sustainable.

Residents raised concerns about traffic on already busy, potholed roads, pressure on GP surgeries, children being pushed into schools further from their homes, and the impact of light pollution and wildlife loss.

In total, 130 objections were lobbed against the proposal. Villagers warned the scheme would lead to longer waits for doctors’ appointments, unsafe roads, and the loss of valued green space used by walkers and cyclists.

Members councillors acknowledged residents’ frustrations with the plans and the potential impact on the surrounding area.

Cllr Joss Bigmore said: “I have every sympathy for local residents who bought homes in rural areas and now have a development of 200 homes on their doorstep. But I think a lot of the objections have been dealt with before.” Cllr Bigmore added that he could see the developers are trying hard to manage the transition from the rural to the urban.

Cllr Patrick Oven raised concerns about the proposal being an outline application, meaning many details will only be decided later. “I’m rather surprised that an application for 200 houses is as vague as it is,” he said. “But it does make it rather nebulous when you’re trying to deal with this.”

He added that the committee had to decide whether the problems would “seriously and demonstrably outweigh the advantages”.

Planning officers advised councillors that experts had found only a low level of harm, which could be reduced through a long list of conditions and mitigation measures. They also warned that Guildford currently cannot show it has enough land to meet housing demand, meaning national planning rules strongly favour new developments unless the harm clearly outweighs the benefits.

Speaking in support of the application, planning agent Alison Tero said the site was already allocated for housing and would help meet Guildford’s growing demand for homes. She stressed that the plans included 40 per cent of ‘affordable housing’, with around 80 homes earmarked for people on lower incomes, and that more than half of the land would remain green, including new natural open space.

The approval comes with 51 conditions and a legal agreement requiring the developer, Taylor Wimpey, to fund improvements to schools, healthcare, roads, public transport, green spaces and biodiversity.

Crucially, the permission is outline only, meaning councillors will still have a say on detailed designs, layout, access and appearance at a later stage.