Berkeley Homes Want more houses in Effingham Berkeley Homes have approval to build 295 homes in Effingham along with the new Howard School build. The original planning proposal was turned down by Guildford Borough Council but upon appeal the decision was over turned by the Secretary of State at the time. Berkeley Homes now want to amend their Masterplan and add a further 110 homes to the build proposal bringing the total to 405 homes plus The Howard new build school for 2000 pupils within the small village of Effingham. Berkeley Homes have stated that if the planning for the 110 homes isn’t approved, the new school will not be built. Their comments and plans can be seen on the website: www.thenewhomeforthehoward.co.uk. The additional proposed 110 homes would be built on greenbelt land acquired by Berkeley Homes. Should the total build be approved with the addition of the further 110 homes, it could bring as many as 800 extra vehicles to Effingham and surrounding roads and even more at school drop off and pick up times, with 2000 students attending the New Build School. As well as this there would be much increase in traffic along Effingham Common Road including heavy construction vehicles for the site, despite the weight limit for Effingham Railway Bridge being 7.5 tonnes. As a result of loss of greenbelt to accommodate the additional houses there is a potential for increased flooding to Effingham Common Road. All this along with confirmation from the CEO of The Howard that the current catchment area cannot be confirmed as remaining the same. If this is the case, the addition of extra homes on this site will further reduce the
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chances of children in Bookham and Fetcham attending The Howard. Berkeley Homes state that the cost of the school build has led to a financial deficit hence the need for 110 additional homes on Green Belt land to subsidise the School Build Project. At the time of writing this, the date for the planning proposal to Guildford Borough Council hasn’t yet been announced, but by the time you read this article the planning proposal to comment on should be live with Guildford Borough Council. A local campaign set up to object to the build was launched in February and has gained traction. Should you wish to find out more please email nomorehomes@outlook.com or visit www.nomorehomes.co.uk where they can point you in the direction of the petition and assist you with writing an objection letter to the council, should this be your view point. *Surrey Hills Publishing Ltd remain impartial and provide this article as a point of reference and for information purposes*
