Former Wisley Airfield site – Taylor Wimpey

Updated May 2025

Taylor Wimpey and Thames Water: Agreement on Ripley Wastewater Treatment Works

Please refer to the Thames Water page for further information.

Ripley Parish Council’s Annual Parish Meeting: 26 Apr 2025.

Q + A

A: The handover of the Primary School and Nursery is triggered by the occupation of more than 650 residential units. Specifically:

The construction of the Primary School and Nursery must occur before more than 600 units are occupied.
The handover of the school site and building to the County Council must occur before more than 650 units are occupied.

This is outlined in paragraph 2.6 of Schedule 4 (Education) of the s106 agreement.

A: The mix of planning tenure for the shops is detailed in Condition 64 of the Inspector’s appeal decision. As shown in the attached image, the approved Land Use Plan identifies the locations for mixed-use development. The retail component is to be delivered within the following parameters:

Retail floorspace: 600–1,100 m²
Minimum 280 m² of this must be allocated to an anchor convenience retail unit

These retail uses fall within a mixed-use local centre, alongside commercial, community, sport/leisure, and flexible Class E uses. The tenure (i.e., whether leasehold or freehold) is not specified in this section, but the land use allocation and size parameters are clearly defined.

A: The Taylor Wimpey Project Director said he understood residents’ worries. He explained that Surrey County Council (SCC) could require construction traffic to use a preferred route as part of the planning conditions. If SCC doesn’t make it a requirement, it could instead be something for Guildford Borough Council (GBC) to manage.

He also agreed to speak with his colleagues at Taylor Wimpey to see if a formal agreement on the route could be made through a contract.

More generally, many people are worried that Ripley High Street and the B2215 are not suitable for heavy construction traffic — especially with the separate Burnt Common development also planned. If the Wisley construction traffic is successfully kept off the B2215, it could help argue for the same traffic limits at Burnt Common in future.

The new A3 slip roads at Burnt Common, included in the 2019 Local Plan, are not just helpful — they’re essential. They are the only realistic way to make sure HGVs enter and exit the site using proper roads, instead of driving through Ripley.

Although the slip roads are a matter for National Highways, there is hope that SCC will push for them and help secure funding. This would help protect Ripley from unsuitable and disruptive lorry traffic.

26 Apr 2025: TW Sheet

26 Apr 2025 TW Sheet Download

Apr 21: Land Use Parameter Plan

Apr 21 – Land Use Parameter Plan – Former Wisley Airfield Download

2023: Wisley Inquiry: Send and Ripley Rule 6 Party

Background

In May 2023, Taylor Wimpey challenged Guildford Borough Council’s delay in deciding on its proposal to build 1,730 new homes on the former airfield. This triggered an official review by a government-appointed planning inspector.
Concerned about the development’s impact on local infrastructure and roads, Send and Ripley Parish Councils decided to jointly oppose the project during the review process.

Actions Taken

This meant that both councils had a seat at the inquiry table to give evidence and cross-examine the appellant’s witnesses. A Statement of Case and Proof of Evidence was compiled over the Summer ahead of the inquiry start date, with great assistance from former Clerk to Ripley Parish Council, Mr Jim Morris.
Council representatives spoke at the inquiry, addressing issues like traffic impacts for Ripley High Street, wastewater and existing capacity of Ripley High Street, Ripley CofE Primary School, and the overall burden on existing infrastructure.
Members of the Rule 6 group actively participated in discussions about planning requirements and conditions associated with a potential approval.
During the inquiry, Cllr Osborn was cross-examined by the appellant’s barrister James Maurici KC. Cllr Osborn cross-examined the appellant’s transport witness and the lead planner of Savills, on the impact of the development on the local road infrastructure.
In December 2023, Cllr Osborn and Cllr Ayears took part in the roundtable discussions on planning conditions relating to the development and Section 106 obligations. They made points about the lack of a viable bus service and raised concerns about the time it would take to deliver a new secondary school to serve the development which would now be built off-site.

Current Status

The Parish Councils presented their full case, including official documents outlining their position (available below).
The inspector Ms Christina Downes BSc DipTP MRTPI, will announce her decision in early-mid April 2024.