Leafy village where houses go for £1.5million faces 'alien extension' of 200 homes on green belt

Oliver Partridge
Wed, 08 Apr 2026 19:04:46 +0000

Property developers have put forward proposals for as many as 200 homes on protected green belt land in the Surrey village of West Clandon, disturbing the scenic area.

The scheme comes despite council planning officers previously raising significant objections to a nearly identical development on the same site.

Guildford Borough Council is now being asked to determine whether this latest submission requires a comprehensive environmental assessment before any formal planning application can proceed.

The proposed development would transform an 11-hectare plot east of Clandon Road into a residential estate.

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Plans also include provision for a small retail unit, community facilities or office space, replacing an existing property and horse paddocks that currently occupy the land.

A similar proposal for up to 190 dwellings was submitted to the council in 2025, featuring roads, parking facilities, play areas and green spaces.

While officers acknowledged the site could potentially be developed given housing demand and its location close to Clandon train station, they expressed serious reservations about the scheme.

Planning officials cautioned that the development would disregard both the surrounding green belt and the village's distinctive character, which is defined by spacious and detached properties.

They described the proposal as an "alien extension" that risked fundamentally altering West Clandon's established identity.

The site occupies land on the village's periphery, situated close to the A3, and currently comprises fields, woodland and several structures, including a residential property and stables.

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Beyond concerns about the development appearing out of place, planning officers also raised objections regarding the proposed density and the mixture of housing types, which included flats and semi-detached properties.

These were considered incompatible with West Clandon's existing architectural character.

Additionally, officials highlighted potential damage to protected trees lining Clandon Road, along with layout problems that contributed to their overall assessment that the scheme was unsuitable for the location.

Despite these previous objections, the developers have returned with an even larger scheme, proposing up to 200 homes on the identical site.

In their latest submission, the developers acknowledge the project may generate some environmental effects, including increased noise levels, additional traffic and impacts on local wildlife.

However, they maintain these consequences can be adequately controlled and would not prove significant when considered as a whole.

The council must now rule on whether a full Environmental Impact Assessment is necessary for the development.

Should the scheme progress, a complete planning application is anticipated to follow at a later stage.