Plans for new Woking FC stadium rejected after planning appeal fails
A replacement for the Kingfield now won't be built
Refusal of a new Woking FC stadium and 1,000 homes will not be overturned after a developer lost an appeal today.
Developer GolDev, Woking Borough Council and members of South Woking Action Group (SWAG) have had to wait seven months for a decision since the two-week inquiry.
The planning application, which generated 1,840 objections from the public and 496 comments in support, would have seen a new 9,000-seat stadium and housing across five buildings between three and 10 storeys high.
On seeing the decision, chair of SWAG Andy Caulfield who spoke at the inquiry said he was “delighted” and the dismissal was a “huge relief”.
The Government’s housing minister Christopher Pincher made the decision on behalf of levelling up, housing and communities secretary Michael Gove.
He thought in the context of the “suburban area” the buildings were too high and homes with more bedrooms would be more acceptable.
Since the inquiry a national planning inspector suggested it is reasonable to build just 93 homes on the Kingfield site.
The appeal decision published today (December 14) reads:
“The Secretary of State agrees with the Inspector that these very tall buildings in the local context would fail to respect the character and nature of the surrounding development, and that the proposed development would materially change the nature and character of the appeal site and would appear as a large, bulky and – for this location – somewhat incongruous high-rise housing development.
“The Secretary of State agrees that whilst the overall provision of affordable housing would represent a clear and very welcome benefit of the proposal, there would be a woeful under-provision of family-sized three and four plus bedroom units.”
GolDev director Wayne Gold, who did not want to comment at this stage, told the inquiry in May he had already spent more than £3 million on the plans based on Woking Borough Council’s “commitment to making this transaction succeed”.
But the application was refused by the planning committee in June 2020.
Woking Borough Council’s chief executive Julie Fisher said today: “I know that many residents, who campaigned passionately against the development proposals submitted by GolDev, will be relieved by this decision.
“Without planning permission, it means that all financial and development agreements entered into between GolDev and Woking Borough Council shall be brought to an end.”