As the local Flood Action Group reported in 2019, ‘The Burstow area, and especially Smallfield, has a long history of serious and repeated flooding, and is recognised by the County Council as one of the highest flood risk areas in Surrey.’

By transforming over eight acres of the site into a new network of sustainable drainage basins, the proposal addresses a problem originating well beyond its boundaries, whilst also ensuring that the new homes will cause no additional flood risk impacts.

Working with our client specialist land promoter, Landform Estates, we developed proposals for a landscape-led, sustainable extension to the existing village. The new neighbourhood will sensitively integrate with its surroundings, with its edges defined by a richly planted new boundary to the Green Belt.

Adjoining the existing neighbourhoods along Meadow View and Plough Road, the new community will feature 120 homes, of which 40% will be affordable. A diverse provision of dwelling types will range from one-bedroom flats up to four-bedroom family homes.

Existing tree lines and hedgerows will be incorporated and enhanced, and two major areas of open space will be created within the northern and eastern fields of the site. These multifunctional landscape spaces will accommodate the flood alleviation measures serving the wider village, as well as new planting and a network of informal paths through meadow grassland.

A village square is proposed at the heart of the site, fronting onto a new community green. This space is designed to be a focal point and anchor within the new neighbourhood for new and existing residents, and will include a Local Equipped Area of Play. Opening up previously inaccessible land, pedestrian and cycle routes aim to encourage active travel by connecting into the wider area, facilities, and existing public routes.

In evolving the Outline Planning Application, the team worked closely with Tandridge District Council, Surrey County Council and Burstow Parish Council, and also held an online consultation where exhibition boards were available online to keep the public informed of the design process throughout. Tandridge District Council has, at over 94%, the highest level of land designated as Green Belt of any district in the UK, making new development highly sensitive.

“Meeting a pressing housing need is often the basis on which our projects are predicated – but in seeking to address this we always seek to unlock additional benefits for existing and future residents. At Smallfield it has been gratifying to collaborate with specialists and stakeholders to not only grow the settlement, but to offer meaningful wider improvements to it. We were delighted by the support of the parish and the council, and the unanimous resolution to grant consent.”

– Graeme Phillips, Partner at JTP