Villagers' concerns over 'fortress-like' homes plan

Residents in a Surrey village have raised concerns about plans for more than 2,000 homes in the green belt on the London border because of traffic concerns and the "fortress-like appearance" of the proposals.

Developer Poppymill Limited has applied to build a new neighbourhood called Hook Park, also including a care home, public park, and offices and retail units, at Chessington, near the A3 Esher bypass and the A309 Kingston bypass.

Claygate Parish Council planning committee chairman Anthony Sheppard said it had submitted an objection to the scheme.

The developer described it as a "transformational development" which would "benefit the wider community".

Sheppard said the parish council's objection mainly focused on traffic issues.

"At present, the only access [to the site] is from Clayton Road, which is an extremely narrow road, congested with parked cars most of the time," he told BBC Radio Surrey.

He added the "design and density of the development" was also something they were worried about.

"They're proposing a row of eight-storey blocks all along the A3 and I think we felt that, just on the edge of a conurbation, it gives us all a fortress-like appearance," he said.

Ania Murlewski, whose family have lived in Claygate for 35 years, said her concerns included safety on the roads and the loss of the green space and biodiversity.

"It's an asset that we should be protecting for future generations and and, sadly, it's not a decision you can reverse, so it should not be taken lightly at all," she said.

Resident Paul Matthews said he was worried about the impact of thousands of extra people arriving to live in the new neighbourhood.

"That's a huge increase in the number of people wanting to use local services [and] likely to take to the roads," he said.

A spokesperson for Poppymill Ltd said the project team had "consulted extensively" on the scheme and looked at how it would "benefit the wider community, not hinder it".

They said of the more than 2,000 planned homes, a third would be family-sized and 50% earmarked as affordable.

They added there would be new access on the Kingston Bypass to draw traffic away from Clayton Road as well as investment in the transport network surrounding the site.

Because of the location, planning documents have been submitted to both of the borough councils in Elmbridge and Kingston.

An Elmbridge council spokesperson said they appreciated the application would raise concerns among residents regarding traffic and services including schools and GP places.

"We will be scrutinising the plans in detail and considering the comments received from our community," they added.

A spokesperson for Kingston Council said each application was judged on its own merits in line with the national and council policies.

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