Send faces critical housing decision as 140-home plan goes to vote

A Village Reaching Its Limit: Understanding Send’s Housing Crisis

If you live in Send, Ripley, or the surrounding villages, Wednesday’s planning decision at Guildford Borough Council will directly affect your commute, your GP appointment wait times, and your children’s school places. Developer Gleeson Ltd is seeking approval for 140 new homes on Aldertons Farm, land off Send Marsh Road near Lotus Manor Care Home—a site that sits at the heart of this growing community. What makes this proposal particularly significant is the context: this isn’t happening in isolation. The Send-Ripley-Wisley corridor is experiencing unprecedented development pressure, with approximately 4,000 homes either planned or under construction across multiple sites. The Allium Park development at the former Garlick’s Arch site, just five minutes away, will bring 620 homes. Meanwhile, Wisley Airfield could see 1,720 additional properties. For residents already struggling with congestion on Send Marsh Road and the A247, this represents a cumulative challenge. Local commuters report that during peak hours, journeys that should take minutes are stretching to 25 minutes or more. When roadworks closed Send Marsh Road recently at 7am, gridlock became unbearable. The question residents are asking: how much more can our infrastructure actually handle?

What’s at Stake: Local Services Under Strain

Walk into your GP surgery in Send these days and you’ll understand why residents are worried. Long waiting lists, oversubscribed schools, and stretched community services paint a picture of a village that’s simply run out of capacity. There are no adequate shopping facilities within Send itself, forcing residents to drive to Ripley or Burpham just to buy groceries—adding to traffic congestion. Gleeson’s proposal does offer a sweetener: half the 140 homes would be designated as affordable housing, and they’re committing to create a 15-hectare Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG) for community use. It’s a genuine attempt at mitigation. However, the core concern from residents remains unchanged. Even with these additions, 140 more households means 140 more cars during rush hour, more patients seeking GP appointments, and more children needing school places. The developer argues this represents “less than substantial harm” to the Green Belt and would deliver a “considerable boost” to Guildford’s housing supply. But locals counter that housing numbers mean little if the community infrastructure collapses under the weight. Local tradespeople like Guildford builders working on residential refurbishments across the area understand this tension intimately—they see both the need for homes and the infrastructure struggles firsthand. A loft conversion or loft refurbishment project might help an existing household make better use of their current property, yet the broader development argument remains: at what point does growth become unsustainable?

What Happens Next: Your Action and Timeline

The planning decision is scheduled for Wednesday, July 22, when Guildford Borough Council’s planning committee will vote on whether to approve Gleeson’s proposals. The recommendation from senior planning officers came with conditions, but that’s not a guarantee—councillors can still reject the application. Here’s what you need to know: The planning portal currently shows 165 objections from residents. If you live in the affected area and haven’t submitted your views, you still may have time to contact your local councillors directly. Attend the meeting if possible—planning committee sessions are public. If approved, this development will likely proceed over the next 3-5 years. Construction traffic on Send Marsh Road will compound existing congestion. Local services will face immediate pressure. If rejected, it sets a precedent for how Guildford Borough Council weighs Green Belt protection against housing targets. Either way, keep watching the Allium Park development timeline and the planned 74-bed care home in Send submitted in May—these will interact with any new housing approval. For residents frustrated by the cumulative effect of multiple developments, engage with your councillors now about infrastructure investment. Demand commitments to expand road capacity, GP facilities, and school places before more homes are built. The decision Wednesday represents a crucial moment for Send’s future.

Source: Plans for 140 homes on Surrey village green belt land set to be decided