The North End of Egley Road (GB7)

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Egley Road Green Belt fields have always served as a vital green buffer between built up Woking and the Historic Village of Mayford. Their openness is extremely important to the character of the Village. Now, with the impact of the School development in the centre of the site the last visual separation is the North Field which provides the break between Woking and Mayford.

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The North field is open and part of the Hook Heath escarpment.It is an area of rising land and should be protected by Woking Borough Council's adopted core strategy policy CS24.

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Mayford's description is laid out in Woking Borough Council’s adopted core strategy in CS 5.7

Prior to the adoption of the core strategy Woking’s Borough Council’s Local Plan described it below

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Woking Borough Council’s description of Mayford and Sutton Green in Local Plan 1999

 

The Mayford and Sutton Green area lies in the south of the Borough. The area is generally rural and open in character. The majority of the area is designated as Green Belt to ensure there is a significant gap between the built-up areas of Woking and Guildford. The Green Belt contains a variety of rural land uses, including agriculture, open recreation (golf courses), ecological and environmental sites with isolated and low-density housing.

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The focus of the Local Plan for this area is on protecting the environment and ensuring that any new development is in keeping with the existing character and Green Belt status of the area. Only very limited types of building will be permitted in the small non-Green area. Important ecological, environmental and heritage sites will be protected.

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A number of special policies are included to protect the landscape of the River Wey, Sutton Green and Hook Heath escarpment.

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Woking’s Adopted Core Strategy

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CS 5.7

Mayford Village is a small and compact community where limited development within the village boundaries would not have an adverse effect on the character of the Green Belt. Within the village, only infill residential development will normally be acceptable. New build business or industrial developments will not be allowed as they are likely to result in an unacceptable effect on the primarily residential character of the village and Green Belt.

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CS24: Woking’s landscape and townscape

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All development proposals will provide a positive benefit in terms of landscape and townscape character, and local distinctiveness and will have regard to landscape character areas.
To protect local landscape and townscape character, development will be expected to:

conserve, and where possible enhance existing character, especially key landscapes such as heathlands, escarpments and the canal/river network and settlement characteristics; maintain locally valued features, and enhance or restore deteriorating features 

• respect the setting of, and relationship between, settlements and individual buildings in the landscape

conserve, and where possible, enhance townscape character, including structure and land form, landscape features, views and landmarks, and appropriate building styles and materials

• support land management practices that have no adverse impact on characteristic landscape patterns and local biodiversity.

• Protect and encourage the planting of new trees where it is relevant to do so.

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