Planning Matters #14 of 2025 

7 November 2025 

In this edition: 

•           Underwhelming but alarming second TW event 
•           Please respond to NPC Survey! 
•           Other local applications 
•           Help needed

 Underwhelming but alarming second TW event 

The second of the two public engagement events organised by Taylor Wimpey (TW) in connection with their proposal for up to 950 new dwellings in Normandy took place in the Village Hall on 4 November. The materials on display are also available on the TW website - click on the button below. 

It is now clear that TW are proposing an urban-style development in a countryside setting, radically changing the size, look, and feel of our village. They are promoting their vision for our community. They are going through the motions of consulting the community about something it does not want. 

TW are not offering any significant infrastructure improvements to address the problems we know already exist (flooding, sewerage, roads, etc). They are merely saying - implausibly - that they will not make matters worse. Many of the things for which they are claiming credit, for example not interfering with the Ancient Woodlands, or managing the surface water run-off, are simply existing planning requirements. 

In their publicity, TW make the astonishing statement: “We were encouraged by the response to the initial vision this summer. Feedback supported the creation of two landscape-led, sustainable neighbourhoods that reflect the local character of their areas.” It is hard to see how they could make such a claim given that the response to our pulse survey conducted after the initial event showed overwhelming (>93%) opposition to their “emerging vision”. Everything else they say needs to be seen in this light. 

People do not want to see over-development of Normandy, and they don’t want to see any development at all unless it comes with meaningful infrastructure improvements, and benefits those who currently find it hard to access the housing market. 

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that TW are interested in listening to what local residents say; they will push ahead regardless with their opportunistic, disproportionate, and inappropriate proposal.  

Please respond to NPC survey 

All of this makes it doubly important that everyone completes the survey that Normandy Parish Council is in the process of distributing to every household in the village, and which is also available on their website: see link below. 

As we made clear at the time, our survey in September was designed to give us a snapshot of how our followers regarded the TW proposals; as shown above, this has been very helpful in putting any claims made by TW about feedback into context. The Parish Council, as a statutory consultee, will need to have a more formal understanding of residents’ views in order to respond to any eventual planning application and, possibly, to incur expenditure on behalf of the community. Please therefore complete their survey, and encourage others to do the same! 

Other local applications 

At the end of 2019 outline planning permission was granted for 28 dwellings at The Elms Centre off Glaziers Lane. This was then the subject of a subsequent ‘reserved matters’ application (covering details not included at outline stage - this is the process that will be followed when TW submit their own, outline, application, we are told before the end of this year). However, the latter has now been ‘finally disposed of’ (i.e. the application will not proceed) in the absence of further information requested by Guildford Borough Council of the developer. Details of all this are behind the button below. 

In our previous newsletter we inadvertently included a reference to an application in Wanborough, for a gypsy and traveller pitch, although the application had in fact been withdrawn and we meant to remove the reference. Apologies for any confusion.  

Help needed 

A reminder that we will be holding our Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, 12 November, at 8pm in Normandy Village Hall. (This is a formal requirement, and is not a substitute for the village meeting the Parish Council will be holding on 30 November to report back on the results of their survey.) 

At the meeting we will be appointing members of our Steering Committee, and we would welcome offers to join from those who would like to help in this way. The duties are not onerous, but the existing members would welcome additional support. We are looking in particular for someone with marketing and communications expertise to help us navigate the critical period ahead - if you don’t have it, maybe you know someone who does! 

We will also be approving a new Constitution for NAG, and reviewing our finances in the light of our successful call for donations in the summer. All are welcome to attend, but it would help if you could let us know if you are planning to be there so we can put out the right number of chairs.