Following an extensive consultation period, Dunsfold Park Ltds professional team has developed a preferred masterplan for the creation of a sustainable new village settlement. The objective will be to create a carbon neutral, self-sufficient development in terms of waste management, water recycling and energy generation to meet the nations environmental objectives to address climate change.

The proposed development will be designed by award-winning architects, Pollard Thomas Edwards and will provide: 2,600 homes; a primary school; local shops; a church; health services and other local amenities all set in around 350 acres of open parkland. There will also be new and improved roads, bus and personal rapid transport systems and an improved and expanded business district, providing jobs for local people.

The homes will be constructed to the highest design standards in a range of styles that are complementary to the surrounding villages. The new village will blend the very best features of the past with todays highly efficient modern materials, to create a village for tomorrow and an exemplar for future living.

Holdhurst Farm does not form part of the redevelopment plans nor is it intended to do so. The first areas of the farm have already been given over to organic farming and the intention is for other areas to follow suit over time.

The farm will also contribute to the provision of green fuels and biomass for use in the new village.

Local employers have suffered in recent years from staff shortages due to the lack of affordable housing in the area and this has impeded the natural expansion of local businesses. The scale of development proposed at Dunsfold Park will allow for the creation of a wide range of housing, including affordable and social housing, allowing local workers to live close by their places of work. This will help to provide the human resources necessary for local business growth 

The site offers nearly 500,000 sq ft of industrial and commercial space, which will be expanded and modernised. This offers important opportunities for the establishment of new businesses in a well-serviced environment.

Rutland Management, part of The Rutland Group, has handled the long-term management of all of its portfolio developments. Dunsfold Park will also benefit from the management expertise of the site owners, providing residents and businesses with the security of its long-term management. The management company will involve both residents and businesses in the long-term management strategy.

The master plan does not yet have planning permission. Dunsfold Park Limited is promoting it as an important part of the Waverley Borough Council Core Strategy which the council will be preparing and consulting on in the coming year.

Following receipt of a positive planning consent, the re-development of Dunsfold Park could take 15 - 20 years to complete. Construction would be phased to meet market demand and the local community would be engaged throughout this process.

Dunsfold Park Ltd has considered all possible options for the future of the aerodrome, which is a major brownfield site. Doing nothing could lead to the break up and sale of the site with the potential then for it to become a 'bad neighbour' industry site. There is also the risk that it would be subject to a number of unacceptable proposals for uses, such as a waste transfer site or a waste treatment plant as suggested recently by the residents of Capel. Keeping to the underlying planning consent would lead to it becoming a very busy airfield, home to a number of corporate aviation companies, which could lead to the extension of the current flying hours as well as week-end flying. None of these alternative uses best fit the sites future.

The most acceptable future for the site is as a new environmentally sound village, developing into the 21st century, a strong UK tradition of new settlements, such as Port Sunlight, Welwyn Garden City, the historic Lanark Mills and other similar villages both here and abroad where the live-work balance plays an important part in the life of the residents.

The site currently has consent for a number of temporary uses expiring in 2010. Dunsfold Park Ltd is applying for an additional range of temporary planning consents to provide much needed revenue to service and maintain the site whilst its future is determined.

These additional consents will include a number of outdoor events such as Wings & Wheels, concerts, filming and other related activities.

Please check the Press Releases section of the website for information on any of our planning applications.

The previous use of the site as an aerodrome meant that all forms of wildlife were discouraged, because of the potential danger to aircraft. The removal of the aircraft use and the creation of a new environmentally sound village set in 350 acres of parkland would provide a wonderful opportunity to create a site of significant wildlife interest. This is a vital element of our plans for the regeneration of the site.

Land Use Consultants (the environmental consultants behind the creation of the Eden Project) are carrying out a detailed Environmental Assessment of the site and preparing proposals to create a blend of parkland and amenity land for the benefit of local residents and wildlife.

Dunsfold Park Ltds objective is to create Britains most sustainable village which will be an exemplar of how development today should address climate change and the way we will need to live tomorrow. It is fundamentally important that issues of climate change are addressed in the creation of the new village.

Dunsfold Park Ltds aims for the new village will be:
Zero carbon emissions
100% water harvesting and recycling
Maximum energy efficiency through building design
Re-use of many of the materials already on-site, such as the runway concrete, etc
Efficient on-site handling and conversion of waste
Alternative fuelled, e.g. low or zero carbon emission public transport
Commitment to reduction of car use (not car ownership) by introducing efficient public and personal rapid transport links, car sharing incentives, car clubs and a study of the various forms of car user charging

The first step will be to design the village for low water usage. Dunsfold Parks objective will be 100% water harvesting and recycling through a closed loop system to ensure minimum water loss; this will include rainwater collection at each house and throughout the site through a sustainable urban drainage system (SUDS). Rainwater and other waters arising on the site will be treated to a standard for re-use in baths, showers, dishwashers, washing machines etc. Research is also being carried out on the practicality of treating waters to potable standards for on-site re-use, using the latest environmental technologies.

Dunsfold Park Ltd continues to research the latest technologies worldwide for dealing with efficient on-site waste recycling. Old technologies such as landfill and incineration are no longer acceptable. Trials of one of the preferred waste disposal systems have already taken place at Dunsfold Park. These were attended by councillors and officials from Local Authorities in the South East. Recycling will be an important part of any waste treatment process.

On-site treatment of waste will remove the need for waste collection vehicles to use local roads.

The twin aims are to reduce demand for energy and to source energy locally where possible, with minimum generation of greenhouse gases.

All alternative forms of energy production are being researched by Dunsfold Park Ltd including solar, photovoltaic, wind and the use of locally produced biomass. Efficiency in the use of energy will be promoted by the use of combined heating and power (CHP). The aim is to reduce carbon emissions through on-site energy generation and reducing the demand for energy from all on-site users. Excess power generated on site will be sold back to the grid, which will help to minimise fuel bills for both business and residential users at Dunsfold Park.

Dunsfold Park Ltd is a strong supporter of the aims of The Wey & Arun Canal Trust and it provides practical support by making premises available for the Trusts use at Dunsfold Park free of charge.

Four kilometres of the Canal run through Dunsfold Park Ltds land ownership and therefore the Company will actively support further restoration.

It is intended that The Wey & Arun Canal will be a major feature of the environmental and landscaping improvements for the new village settlement. The masterplan provides for a branch of the canal to enter the village and service a canal basin near the village centre.

England needs around 80,000 new affordable homes each year and yet only 20,000 were built in 2004 / 2005.

Waverley is in a group of South East local authorities with the greatest problem of housing affordability.

The Guildford-Woking-Waverley region has the highest average house prices in the South East. Those who are in the lowest quarter of wage earners in this area need 10 times their average income to buy a house at average Waverley prices. This compares to 8.2 times for the South East and 6.5 for England as a whole.

Waverley has a housing waiting list of more than 2,500 people, which is growing at a rate of 600 per annum. Research carried out by Savills indicates that between 2,100 and 2,800 units per annum are required for the next five years in the local market area to clear the backlog of need and, thereafter, 1,600 2,300 units per annum are required to keep pace with need.

No. Waverleys allocation of housing numbers, under the current South-East Plan proposals, is only 230 units per annum of all residential types, including affordable housing. This is insufficient to deal with the current shortages.

As a brownfield site, Dunsfold Park is in an ideal location to make a crucial contribution to the supply of affordable housing necessary to address the Boroughs requirements.

The new village will cater for a wide range of residential needs, including social and market affordable housing, housing for first time buyers, shared ownership, market rental, housing for the elderly ranging from independent to full care and housing suitable for those with disabilities and special needs. It will include a full range of open-market housing.

The draft South-East Plan proposes 25% of affordable/social housing (which would equate to 650 units at Dunsfold Park) and 10% of intermediate tenure housing (260 at Dunsfold Park). The final number will be determined in the section 106 agreement by other commitments including transport and renewable energy commitments which will be required as part of the village development.

The definition of affordable housing includes social rented housing, various types of shared ownership and other acquisition mechanisms.

The social housing will be made available to applicants on the local authorities housing waiting lists. Dunsfold Park Ltd would like the allocations to reflect a preference for people working locally. There will be Housing Association involvement in the management and maintenance of the properties but Dunsfold Park Ltd will retain ownership within its own portfolio. This is to prevent the houses from disappearing from the affordable stock via the Right to Buy rules.

Some of the market housing will be designed and priced to match local incomes and affordability. Housing priority will be given firstly to people working at Dunsfold Park, secondly to people from the surrounding villages in the Cranfold area, thirdly to other residents in Waverley and finally to others in the wider area.

Dunsfold Parks business district, currently housing more than 700 people in over 100 businesses, will remain and continue to be improved and expanded. In due course, it could provide up to 2,000 jobs across a diverse range of skilled and semi-skilled occupations.

Over time, all of the existing buildings at Dunsfold Park, and any new buildings that may be constructed in the future, will be developed, as far as practicable, to the same high levels of water, waste and energy efficiency as the new residential village.

The business and residential districts will be separated by a linear landscaped park that will follow the line of the existing runway. This will enable security and proximity to the residential units to go hand in hand. The two districts will come together at the Market Square, the heart of the new settlement.

The business units on Hewitts Industrial Estate are nearing the end of their useful life and the majority of the existing leases will expire in the near future. Discussions are in hand with the tenants about their future needs and this may include their relocation to Dunsfold Park or other premises within Dunsfold Park Ltds ownership in the local area.

Tenants at Dunsfold Park will benefit from:

An excellent location in the centre of the Cranfold area
High quality, efficient premises
Good access to the A281 via a new link road
Low running costs and maximum energy efficiency
Affordable housing for staff
A pleasant working environment
Good quality recreational and catering facilities
On site security, 24/7/365
New forms of public transport serving the surrounding area

Premises at Dunsfold Park will compare very favourably with those in surrounding areas such as Guildford, Godalming, Horsham, etc.

The on-site generation of electricity and other sustainable objectives should mean lower running costs for tenants and occupiers.

There will be considerable career opportunities for young people within the expanded business park. There will be a high level of both skilled and unskilled occupations and discussions are in hand for a skills training centre to be established at Dunsfold Park.

The Rutland Group, owners of Dunsfold Park, are experienced in establishing good business/education links. In Hounslow, for example, The Group was a founder member of the Schools Curriculum in Industry programme (SCIP), set up to forge close liaison between industry and education in the West London area. Elsewhere, in areas of low attainment, bursary systems were established to assist and encourage local children to continue with further education and go on to university.

Dunsfold Park Limited is working closely with several local schools. An example of this is its contribution to Glebelands Schools award winning application for special Science Status.

Dunsfold Park Ltd appreciates that, for practical purposes in Surrey, the family car is a necessity and its aim for the new village is to reduce unnecessary car use, not car ownership.

By providing low-cost public transport systems, Dunsfold Park Ltds intention is to reduce the reliance on the car for local journeys, thereby relieving the pressure on the local roads. Dunsfold Park Ltds professional team is researching new and innovative transport systems worldwide. We hope to identify the chosen option in spring 2007.

Underpinning the transport strategy are:
Integrated land use planning (jobs, housing, services and recreation) to reduce the need to travel
A new link road connecting Dunsfold Park to the A281
Car reduction measures such as car club and car sharing schemes
Car free zone around the Market Square and village centre
Smart technologies, providing online public transport information
The creation of new footpaths, bridlepaths and cycle ways
In the longer term, a new public transport route to Guildford and Horsham
Investigation of car user charging and how it might provide funds to support better, environmentally friendly public transport

Planning regulations will set the car parking standards that will apply within the new village.

A principal benefit provided by the new link road from Dunsfold Park to the A281 will be the removal of all commercial traffic from the existing site accesses on Stovolds Hill and Alfold Road, thereby also relieving the Alfold Crossways junction.

The Downs Link, the former Guildford to Horsham railway line, is a retained public transport corridor in the Surrey Structure Plan. As part of its research into new public transport systems, Dunsfold Park Ltd is investigating which forms of public transport could use the Downs Link without the loss of its existing recreational uses.

The capital costs of local transport improvements will, in the main, be provided by Dunsfold Park Ltd through Section 106 agreements as part of any planning consent. The ongoing maintenance and running costs will be funded by fare paying passengers. Funds could also be generated from car user charges.

By providing housing adjacent to a business community, Dunsfold Park Ltd hopes to reduce the number of existing employee car journeys within the local area. A significant number of the employees at Dunsfold Park have already expressed keen interest in the housing proposals.

By providing housing for existing employees, many of whom already commute on local roads, and for future employees, who will not need to commute, it is hoped that the number of additional traffic movements will be limited. The new public transport system will further reduce unnecessary car journeys.

Other factors which will lead to a desire to live close to ones place of work and promote greater use of public transport in coming years will be road user charges, higher fuel costs, congestion charging, GPS-linked insurance charging, etc.

The construction of the new village at Dunsfold Park will be phased over a period of some 10-15 years. A great deal of the material used in the construction of the new village will be recycled from the existing runways and perimeter roads. These factors will minimise the impact of construction traffic on local roads.

Agreements will be entered into with contractors to ensure that route restrictions can be imposed to minimise the impact of construction traffic on surrounding villages.

The removal of the aerodrome and its replacement with a new village community, set within 350 acres of parkland, will provide the opportunity for a wide range of outdoor recreational activities for residents of the new settlement, workers in the business district and the communities in the surrounding villages.

The landscape, in which the new village will sit, will be varied in design, offering a wide range of outdoor pursuits such as walking, cycling, horse riding, fishing, boating, as well as areas for organised sports.

As part of the consultation process, we will consult with various sporting, heritage, environmental and leisure groups to assess local needs. This will help us to achieve the right balance of active and passive recreation throughout the parkland. Dunsfold Park Ltd would welcome the involvement of local clubs and societies in the ongoing use and management of the facilities.

Dunsfold Park does not intend to compete with the existing facilities in Cranleigh. Local convenience facilities will only be provided as required by the new village and business district. The new transport link between Dunsfold Park and Cranleigh will provide quick and easy access to Cranleigh for other shops and services. Public transport to higher order facilities, e.g. theatre and department stores, in Guildford will be improved.

Dunsfold Park's history will be an integral part of its future development. We hope to include a public museum as part of our plans so that people can enjoy the aerodromes fascinating history. We also hope to create a lasting memorial to those based at Dunsfold Aerodrome who lost their lives during the Second World War and provide a record of the research and development of the many famous aircraft that were designed and built here.

Dunsfold Park Ltds team has consulted with a number of community service providers including the Primary Care Trust, Cranleigh Village Hospital Trust, local GP surgeries, the ambulance service, the County Education Department, the Guildford diocese and local schools. This consultation process is ongoing.

It is anticipated that the new village will require a primary school and will also boost the number of pupils attending local secondary schools, such as Glebelands, who are beginning to suffer falling pupil numbers.

No - rather the reverse. The falling numbers of young families with children in the Cranfold area, due to the lack of affordable and other types of housing, is one of the primary reasons behind the closure of local schools in Alfold and Dunsfold and the proposed amalgamation of other schools in Cranleigh and the surrounding area. The new settlement will boost these numbers and help to ensure their future.

Dunsfold Park Ltd has been engaging and consulting with local residents, community stakeholders and local politicians since the purchase of Dunsfold Aerodrome in 2002.

In summary, over the last two years, consultation on the future of Dunsfold Park has included:
 An extensive programme of meetings with councillors, MPs and key stakeholders which is ongoing
Meetings with local residents and tenants
Attendance at Parish and Borough Council meetings, including presentations at two Waverley Borough Council Development Control Consultative Forums (DCCF)
Attendance at various community events
Widespread distribution of Dunsfold Parks quarterly newsletters
Frequent local press updates
Two major public consultation exercises
Widespread circulation of consultation literature and questionnaires
Ongoing provision of information on Dunsfold Parks website and
Presentations to, and workshops with, local students.

At every stage of the consultation process, comments have been fed into the masterplan design proposals.

A full breakdown of consultation activities and promotion is available under the Public Exhibitions section of the website.

Consultation is an ongoing process at Dunsfold Park and all comments received will be analysed and fed to the design team to assist the masterplanning process.

Notification of the next stages of the consultation process will be published on the Dunsfold Park website, in the local area and through the local pres

As the development proceeds, it is Rutland's practice to liaise with local residents by forming a Residents Group, which will meet regularly to ensure that local people can become involved in the ongoing process and be kept informed as the development proceeds.

We anticipate that the Residents Group will be in existence for a number of years. Elsewhere, some of our Residents Groups have been in existence for up to fifteen years.

Dunsfold Park Ltd has an on-site presence and is available to answer questions at any time. The Chief Executive, Jim McAllister, operates an open door policy and he and other members of the team can be contacted there.

M&N Associates, a communications consultancy based locally in Godalming, has a dedicated Dunsfold Park team who are also on hand to answer any questions from the community in respect of on-site activities or the proposed redevelopment.

Dunsfold Park Ltd is a joint venture company formed by The Rutland Group and The Royal Bank of Scotland.

Formed in 1984, Rutland is an award-winning, privately owned property company with a reputation for holistic development. It is known for its consideration of all aspects of property development and the infrastructure and environment surrounding them, including employment and education issues. Its core areas of operation include property investment, property management, project management and property development.

Rutland's Chief Executive, Jim McAllister, has lived locally for some 20 years. Following the acquisition of Dunsfold Park, he relocated the companys head office from London to Dunsfold Park to provide hands-on involvement in the project.

Strategic, economic and social planning & team coordination
Strategic Planning Advice Ltd

Architect and masterplanner
Pollard Thomas Edwards architects

Transport planning
Mott MacDonald

Landscape and ecology
Land Use Consultants

Sustainable utilities engineering
Fulcrum Consulting

Town planning
Roger Tym & Partners

Community relations consultants
M&N Associates

Government relations
Citigate Public Affairs