Our Normandy Village - Glaziers Lane
Our Normandy Village - land near Pusseys Copse with Ancient Woodland
Our Normandy Village - view to the Hogs Back and Surrey Hills AONB
Our Normandy Village - St Marks Church, Wyke, 15th c.
Our Normandy Village - winter sunset
‘Sustainability’ versus ‘Sensitivity’
Two of the key concepts that underpin the local plan are ‘sustainability’ (i.e. an areas suitability for development - Policy 1) and ‘sensitivity’ (it’s importance in terms of protecting the Green Belt). Individual settlements are ranked on both counts, and development is favoured in the most ‘sustainable’ ones; conversely, the barrier is higher in the most ‘sensitive ’ones. What is significant is that for the purposes of assessing ‘sustainability’ Normandy and Flexford’ have been treat as one settlement, whereas for ‘sensitivity’ they have been treated separately. This could almost have been designed to give us the outcome we have, as in terms of ‘sustainability’ all the assets from the two settlements are aggregated - which maximises its score on this count - but in terms of Green Belt ‘sensitivity’ the open area between the two settlements is
disregarded - which reduces our score on that one.
This is simply inconsistent’. In fact the original data (used in the first consultation) identified Normandy as one settlement. The data was rewritten in 2014 dividing the settlements in two. Data cannot be changed.
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Bailes Lane: Temporary Article 4 Direction Made!
On 18 April, following numerous representations from members of the public, Normandy Parish Council, and Normandy's Borough Councillors, Guildford Borough Council (GBC) officers acting under their delegated powers issued an Article 4 Direction regarding the agricultural land lying to the west of Bailes Lane, Normandy, GU3 2BA.
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‘Limited Infilling’ in Normandy and Flexford
‘Limited Infilling’ is increasingly used by planning officers as a justification when approving applications in Normandy/Flexford, even where the site is outside the settlement area identified in the Local Plan and is therefore in the Green Belt. (It is worth recalling in this context that the Local Plan removed Normandy and Flexford, along with several other settlements, from the Green Belt, making then ‘inset’, rather than ‘washed over’; this meant that development within the settlement area would not need to accord with Green Belt policy.) We therefore thought it would be helpful to take a closer look at this concept of ‘limited infilling’ in the Green Belt.
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