Housing on green belt land 'heartless'

Plans to build up to 1,000 homes on green belt land in Surrey are "absolutely heartless", a resident has said.

Peter Humphrey was born near Salfords, grew up there, and returned 10 years ago to retire, but says the "rural idyll" where he once explored fields and woods would be lost if the development went ahead.

Crest Nicholson had set out to build 1,300 homes with a school, centre, play areas and infrastructure, but has reduced the number of houses following feedback.

The developer said it intends to keep most of the site as "green infrastructure and open space".

"The very farmland they're about to destroy was my playground when I was a little boy," Humphrey said.

"I used to go hunting for birds and other nature and so forth around the fields and woods, and that's all going to be gone."

He said the development would have a huge impact and the community would lose its identity.

"They're effectively going to urbanise all the way from here down through Crawley, with Horley in the middle."

Crest Nicholson's latest consultation documents say Reigate council's housing land supply "falls significantly short of the government's assessment of minimum local housing needs" over the next five years.

The documents state the land west of Salfords is currently designated as green belt but "is not subject to other landscape or ecological designations that would prevent development from taking place".

Proposals have outlined up to 1,000 homes with "significant community benefits" including a primary school, local centre, play areas, sports pitches and infrastructure, plus "high-quality open space" alongside the development.

However, Humphrey said there were alternatives.

"There is plenty of unused so-called brown land, on the fringes of towns - former abandoned, commercial or industrial plots for example," he said.

"I don't see any need for wanton destruction of our countryside and our farmland."

He branded it "absolutely heartless stuff that's being done by companies who have no interest in our areas and communities".

Crest Nicholson is expected to submit an outline planning application to Reigate & Banstead Borough Council in May. The council declined to comment.

A spokesperson for Crest Nicholson said: "Our plan retains most of the site as green infrastructure and open space, and we plan to provide new community benefits as part of our proposal, including a new local centre to act as a hub for the area, alongside new shops and retail units, and space for education and leisure facilities.

"The final number of homes being built is subject to our ongoing consultation, and if they have not already done so, residents can provide feedback online."

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