The deadline to respond to this planning application has been extended and will close on 12/3/21. WA/2020/1937 – click here
It’s about Electricity supplies for Cranleigh – The Erection Of A Flexible Electricity Generation Facility Including Battery Storage With Associated Ancillary Infrastructure Access And Boundary Treatment. (on Green Belt Land)
When all the housing was proposed we all said many things that boiled down to – our infrastructure is NOT up to taking up to 1800 more dwellings!
One by one the services are having to be tweaked, supplemented, improved or whole new supplies brought in – water, gas, now it’s electricity.
You might think that a new substation to support the extra need is just what is needed – and out of the village – halfway between the village centre and Rowly? what’s not to like?  It won’t matter if it’s over there – oh another “bit” of green being built on, not to worry? or are you?!
There is a Planning Application WA/2020/1937 – click here – to install – on a temporary basis (30 years!) – a quantity of 3  gas powered generators of 25MW capacity and ancillary equipment on land at the rear of Stonescapes on the Guildford Road, Cranleigh. view picture here
These generators will operate at times of maximum demand to overcome power shortages.
Each generator comes in a metal container 12.2 meters long x 3.1 meters high and 2.2 meters wide with a 7 meter high stack pipe.
Further details on the various environmental issues can be found on the Waverley Planning applications website where you can make comments for and against this application. The deadline has been extended and will close on 12/3/21.
The applicants think it must be ok though, because it will be surrounded by newly planted shrubs!
Don’t forget to submit your point of view on line at https://www.waverley.gov.uk/Services/Planning-and-building here
This is mainly brought about by the electricity needed to charge electric vehicles.
Burning gas to charge cars…not a good economical or enviromental Idea.
No gas heating in new build homes…..burn gas to generate electricity to replace gas central heating!
Brilliant!
I Oppose this planning application because it is Green Belt, because it would become brownfield site fit for housing, because burning gas to generate electricity seems somehow wrong, because there are other places such a facility could go that are already industrialised. Not worthy Waverley. Let’s not have this. I agree the electricity supply – I believe it is just spur at the moment – needs to be upgraded for Cranleigh, and agree the need is fairly urgent – so many new homes. Infrastructure is a very big worry. But let’s keep our old fields full of viable life for the future. n.b. carbon is stored by nature in the soil! and released when it’s dug up.