The Crown Estate to build up to 500 new homes on Loseberry Farm
On Monday 19th May, representatives of Save Claygate Green Belt met directly with the Crown Estate to discuss their intentions for Loseberry Farm and the wider future of the land surrounding Claygate.
Attending on behalf of the community were Ben Miles, David Walker Smith and Michael Philips. Representing the Crown Estate were Johanna Bradford, Director of Community Engagement, and Iona Cameron, Strategic Land Programme Manager, together with Richard from the PR consultancy acting on their behalf.
We spent approximately an hour and a half with them, and whilst the meeting was constructive and informative, the implications for Claygate’s Green Belt are deeply concerning.
The Crown Estate confirmed that they are actively exploring the development potential of Loseberry Farm, with proposals currently understood to be for “up to” 500 dwellings.
During the meeting, the Crown Estate explained that they currently see Loseberry Farm as the most favourable and “sustainable” development site in the area. Their reasoning centres around two key arguments: the proximity of the site to Claygate railway station, and the possibility of delivering what they describe as a 15% biodiversity net gain through the creation of a publicly accessible “natural park”.
The site being considered for development of up to 500 homes
The proposed park area would likely sit towards the southern end of the farmland, near the footpath from the top of Gordon Road. They also shared a diagram showing the extent of the land currently under consideration, which broadly encompasses the entire stretch of fields up to the footpath. They additionally confirmed that they own the land beyond the footpath as well, although this is presently leased. If the 500 home ambition is to be realised, such a park would be extremely small, as this many homes would consume the entire site at current village dwelling density.
Importantly, the Crown Estate distanced themselves from Horringdon Farm on the basis that it is no longer Crown Estate managed land. The also confirmed that Loseberry Farm is "currently" their only site of interest in the village, however we believe it to be the thin end of the wedge.
At present, the proposals remain within the Crown Estate’s internal discussion and evaluation phase. No formal planning application has yet been submitted. The next stage would involve the Crown Estate securing internal approval to move forward into a formal planning and consultation process.
The timeline shared with us suggests that this process could begin as early as this summer. Should matters progress, this would involve public consultation and engagement exercises, alongside discussions with Elmbridge Borough Council, Surrey County Council and Claygate Parish Council.
It was also made clear during the meeting that several future paths remain possible for the land. These include:
Direct development by the Crown Estate
Sale of the site to another developer
Alternative uses for the land
That said, given the level of detail discussed regarding development ambitions, it is difficult to escape the conclusion that active development remains the most likely direction of travel at this stage.
This matters enormously for Claygate.
Once Green Belt land is lost, it is lost forever. Development on this scale would fundamentally alter the character of the village and place significant additional pressure on local roads, schools, services and infrastructure.
The consultation phase, if and when it begins, may represent one of the few genuine opportunities residents have to influence the outcome before positions become entrenched.
What You Can Do
If you oppose the loss of Loseberry Farm and want to protect Claygate’s Green Belt, please make your voice heard now.
We strongly encourage residents to write to elected representatives at Elmbridge Borough Council, Claygate Parish Council and East Surrey Council urging them to resist inappropriate development on Loseberry Farm.
Elmbridge Borough Council
Claygate Parish Council
hadleigh.moon@claygateparishcouncil.gov.uk
anthony.sheppard@claygateparishcouncil.gov.uk
gil.bray@claygateparishcouncil.gov.uk
geoff.herbert@claygateparishcouncil.gov.uk
Michael.collon@claygateparishcouncil.gov.uk
Samantha.Bingham@claygateparishcouncil.gov.uk
Donna.Holt@claygateparishcouncil.gov.uk
jenny.french@claygateparishcouncil.gov.uk
John.Burns@claygateparishcouncil.gov.uk
Stephen.Ellis@claygateparishcouncil.gov.uk
(Members of the Planning Committee)
East Surrey Council
cllr.andrew.burton@eastsurrey.gov.uk
And if you have not already done so, please sign our petition.
The more residents who engage now, the harder it becomes for these concerns to be ignored later.
