On 8 December 2015, an appeal outcome (APP/Y3615/W/15/3132375) against 15/P/00293 was published by the Planning Inspectorate that decided in favour of the appellant Taylor Wimpey for the building of 26 dwellings at Minley Nursery to the west of Spoil Lane, Tongham adjacent to Ash Manor School; the original application was for 55 dwellings.

In that judgement the Inspector states that GBC indicated the 24 hectares of SANG proposed by Bewley Homes at Ash Lodge Drive was available, in contrast to the the Officer Report for North Wyke Farm, Normandy decision on 14 December 2015 that indicated the proposed SANG was unavailable.

Increasing Urbanisation to the west of Normandy

This new planning approval for new housing is in addition to the current Taylor Wimpey uk development of 60 homes at Ash Green Lane West where planning permission was approved by GBC in 2013 [12/P/00645]. There is a new proposal [15/P/02062] on a site adjacent to the Taylor Wimpey development for a further 12 dwellings in Ash Green.  

Normandy & Ash Green By-ways

These developments are pushing housing built on green spaces in areas deemed by Guildford Borough Council to be "land beyond the Green Belt" to the very western boundary of Normandy at the far western end of the Green Lane East "by-way open to all traffic" [BOAT] where it merges into Green Lane West, Pound Farm Lane and the Ash Green Lane East BOAT. The area between Christmas Pie and Ash Green supports the most extensive network of BOATs in the borough. 

To view the national byways map visit the Byway Map web site.

Maintenance of Normandy "Green Belt" status essential

This push from the urbanising forces in the west of the borough illustrate clearly the increasing importance of maintaining our Normandy ward land's Green Belt status to fulfill the essential purpose defined in the National Planning Policy Framework [NPPF] paragraph 79 "to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open; the essential characteristics of Green Belts are their openness and their permanence" and in particular three of the five specific purposes defined in paragraph 80 of the NPPF

• to check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas
• to prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another
• to assist in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment

In Normandy ward's case preventing the sprawl and encroachment of Ash South & Tongham, Ash and Ash Wharf urban wards towards Guildford and to protect the openness of the Green Belt along the western end of the Surrey Hills AONB on its southern slopes