It was standing room only as members of the community came together to discuss three planning applications for greenbelt land in and around Cobham.

The meeting, held at Cobham Village Hall on Wednesday, January 22, was organised by the Cobham and Downside Residents’ Association, Cobham Conservation and Heritage Trust and Cobham Chamber of Commerce to provide a forum for discussion about the plans for a waste incinerator, new secondary school and 500 homes and a development on Wisley Airfield.

Days before the meeting, an appeal against the refusal of the waste incinerator planned for Redhill Road was withdrawn from the Planning Inspectorate, much to the delight of residents.

Helen Jeffries, of the Wisley Airfield Action Group, spoke about the proposals for 2,175 homes built on greenbelt land, which would cause a “major impact on traffic flows in Cobham”.

The development of Cobham Free School’s secondary provision and 500 homes on Chippings Farm, off Portsmouth Road, prompted lengthy discussion and a number of questions from residents.

James Browne, Cobham Fairmile councillor, said: “There’s no doubt that this development taken as a whole, which would increase by about 10 per cent the total number of houses in Cobham, would represent a major change to the nature of the town.”

The application for the housing and school development will be made in the coming months, with the view of going before a planning committee in April or May.