Plans for more than 300 new homes on Surrey Green Belt land have been submitted and residents have until December 1 to send in their views.

Martin Grant Homes has filled two applications with Woking Borough Council to build 309 homes on Saunders Lane in Mayford.

The first seeks to build 162 homes to the north west of Saunders Lane, the second is aiming for 147 homes to the north east.

Half the housing will be affordable and split across the two sites, according planning documents. 

The developer argues the land can take up to 350 homes, and that the council has an urgent need for housing could also restrict any efforts to reject the plans.

The developer says the council could run out of suitable space for new homes in just over two years – council’s must demonstrate they have at least a five year housing land supply.

“Whilst the site is currently located within the Green Belt, it is considered that the site comprises ‘grey belt’ land and that the principle of development should therefore be considered favourably on this basis”, the planning statement read.

The Saunders Lane site is surrounded by woodland and large detached homes within the Hook Heath Conservation Area to the north.

To the east lies a paddock, playing fields and a play area near Mayford Village Hall.  

At this stage the developer has yet to decide on the exact mix of housing but anticipate it will be a mixture of between one to four bed properties with “a focus on family housing and a mix of apartments, terraces, semi-detached and detached properties, together with amenity space and car parking.”

The  planning statement read: “The benefits of the proposed development are wide-ranging and significant, and in many cases inextricably linked to the sustainability of the proposed development.”

It added that “the proposals seek to provide a range of house types and sizes to meet local needs and provide choice in the local housing market. The provision of  dwellings should therefore be given substantial weight in the planning balance.”

“The development will provide 50 per cent  of dwellings as affordable housing”  which equates to up to 155 new high quality dwellings, “supporting the significant affordable housing needs in the borough” – this against a council affordable housing need of 375 dwellings per year.