Over 100 new homes refused over flood risk

A proposal to build up to 112 homes in a rural east Surrey village has been refused after planning officers flagged concerns over the site's flood risk.

Developers had applied to Tandridge District Council (TDC) for outline planning permission on land off Crowhurst Road in Lingfield.

The firm said its plans would have helped address the "chronic and substantial housing supply shortfall and affordability issues" in the area.

Residents objecting to the scheme also cited its impact on local infrastructure and the surrounding countryside, with one calling it a "total disaster for our lovely village".

The TDC officers' report said that "significant concerns remain in respect of flood risk and drainage", according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

"The submitted information doesn't demonstrate that the development would be safe from flooding for its lifetime, taking account of climate change, or that surface water flooding would be appropriately managed without increasing flood risk elsewhere," it added.

The report also argued that "reasonably available alternative sites appropriate for the proposed development and capable of meeting the same development needs have been identified".

The applicant, Fairfax Acquisitions Ltd, said in its planning documents that the site would have had "access to a variety of transport links, areas of employment, education, retail, health and leisure".

Its papers also argued that, while the build location falls within Surrey's green belt, it should qualify as grey belt - meaning the usual stringent planning restrictions could be relaxed.

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