In January Landform Estates submitted a planning application for 120 new homes at its 13ha (33 acre) Plough Road site at Smallfield in Surrey. All matters are reserved except for access, which is to be determined in detail. The scheme includes for the full policy requirement of 40% affordable housing along with 5% self-build and significant areas of new public open space and footpaths.
The scheme also includes wider village flood relief measures. The site is located on the eastern edge of Smallfield allowing it to intercept and regulate surface water flows from nearby streams that currently overwhelm the village drainage system and cause significant problems for residents.
There are also a number of offsite highway measures and other wider community improvements as part of the application.
The Plough Road site was allocated, as one of only eleven sites, in the emerging Tandridge DC Local Plan however, the Local Plan Examination has stalled over the last two years due to issues relating to the proposed Godstone Garden Village. This has resulted in significant delay and could result in the abandonment of the Plan.
In response to this Tandridge DC, in September 2022, approved an interim planning policy to allow for a consistent approach in dealing with the determination of housing applications, which includes the Plough Road site and the other ten allocated sites.
More than 94% of the land in the Tandridge DC area lies within the Green Belt – the highest level of any district within the UK – which makes the identification and delivery of new housing and employment land very challenging.
Smallfield has a population of around 2,000 people and lies two miles to the east of Gatwick Airport and the town of Horley. It is well-served with local transport facilities, reflecting its excellent location close to major employment opportunities. The village has an active Parish Council, a good primary school, GP facilities, local shops and sports facilities.
