Molesey Venture development, Orchard Lane
Why was it permitted?

Many residents in Ember Farm Way and Orchard Lane will have been disappointed to see planning approval given in March for the redevelopment of the Molesey Venture site.

The Molesey Venture development at the northwest end of Orchard Lane comprises 74 residential units in three blocks (A, B & C). The planning application (2022/3525) was first submitted in November 2022, and the following year TD & WG Residents' Association officers met with local residents (Orchard Lane and nearby Ember Farm Way) who were concerned at the overbearing and intrusive impact the development would have on many of them. There was also concern about a possible increased flooding risk as the site is next to the River Ember. The RA, along with many others, submitted objections to Elmbridge Borough Council, and the development was subsequently modified, but only to a small degree. So why, when the amended plans were considered by the Planning Committee last month, was the development permitted, despite the nearly 400 objections sent to Elmbridge Borough Council?

Flood risk
While concern of an increased flood risk is understandable, the proposed development was reviewed by the Environment Agency who concluded that the flood risk following development would be within acceptable bounds. As such, any objections to the development based solely on flooding could not carry any weight with the Planning Committee.

Impact on neighbours
It is appreciated that nearby residents would prefer that no redevelopment of the site took place at all; however, given the balance that the Planning Committee must strike between the need for housing and its affect on nearby addresses, Councillors considered most of the proposed development (housing blocks A and B) to be acceptable. Our RA Councillors though did consider block C to have too great a negative impact on adjacent dwellings, and proposed an amendment which would require the developer to mitigate this in a revised application. Unfortunately the Planning Committee voted against this amendment, and subsequently approved (by a small majority) the entire development, subject to certain legal conditions.

Planning Committee members are very much aware that the current government’s change in planning policy now greatly favours house building and that any rejection of a planning application is very likely to be overturned on appeal unless the grounds for rejection are absolutely ‘water-tight’. In the case of the Molesey Venture development, such grounds were thought not to be strong enough. It should be noted that, when planning decisions are overturned on appeal, the legal costs are borne solely by Elmbridge Borough Council.

All this may not offer much comfort to local residents affected by the development, however it aims to explain the constraints under which Planning Committees operate when making their decisions. The RA will always support residents when developments are thought to be inappropriate for our community; but objections will not always sway Planning Committees when decisions must be made in a wider context.

Click here to view a webcast of the Planning Committee's meeting, starting at 41 mins.