We'd like to introduce you (courtesy of the Woodland Trust) to our new friend Mr Weasel, who is going to help us understand some of the words in Taylor Wimpey's application to put 950 new builds on protected green space in Normandy.

We haven’t seen the application yet, but we know it's been deposited, because it's appeared on something called the Public Notice Portal - see below. It is currently being checked by Guildford Borough Council, and we are told it will be published shortly.

 As you can see, Mr Weasel is on the lookout - for things that might not be quite as they are presented. He's got an interest, because he and his relatives are very fond of the Ancient Woodland in which they live in this area of Green Belt in Normandy.

The first thing that has caught his eye is the opener of the application: "demolition of existing stables buildings". Mr Weasel wonders if this is designed to give the impression that these new builds are somehow going to be put on 'previously developed land'. But he knows that out of all this 148 acre site only a very minute part, where there is a smallholding with stabling for a horse, has ever had any kind of building on it. He doesn't like what the developer has done here at all. Weasel words, you might say...

Then he notices a veritable cornucopia of wonderful-sounding 'community facilities': schools, cafés, shops, health centre, even a Forest Building. And yet he knows from his many friends among the residents of Normandy, who allow him and Mrs Weasel and their children to enjoy their peaceful rural surroundings, that these facilities haven't been requested by the community at all - in fact they have most of them already! On the contrary, over 95% of local people have objected to the proposals because they want the peace, tranquillity, and biodiversity of this precious area to be left alone!

Mr Weasel also knows that his lovely farmland is subject to frequent and heavy flooding, and he wonders how that will be managed when most of it is built over. And he appreciates the fact that the roads that bound the site to east and west are a 'D' road' and a 'C' road respectively - which suits him because it means he can skip across them at night when he wants to do a bit of foraging - and he shudders to think how they and he will cope with an estimated additional 2000 cars on the road.

So, all in all, Mr Weasel is not impressed by Taylor Wimpey's claims, and nor are his human friends. In fact, the latter are so upset that they have launched a campaign: normandy-says-no.com so that people can band together, show their opposition, and try to make sure this inappropriate, disproportionate, and opportunistic development never happens.

Please show your support for Mr Weasel, his family, and his human friends. Click on the 'Follow Us' tab to sign up to our regular newsletters and to see how you can take action.