Taylor Wimpey wants to build homes on the former Wisley Airfield in Surrey, near RHS Wisley. The developer acquired the land in March 2020 and submitted plans to build 1700 houses to the Guildford Borough Council.

The plans have been met with opposition from local group villages as well as the RHS Wisley, whom have raised noise, pollution and transport concerns should the development go ahead. A joint statement by The Wisley Action Group, Ockham Parish Council and RHS Wisley described the scale and location of the housing plans as “entirely unsustainable”.

“RHS Wisley has real concerns that transport impacts on this key historic facility this not been fully considered in the proposals’, the statement concludes. “The impact of transport on the operation of Wisley will be felt in terms of visitorship and financially, as well as through pollution and noise on the heritage asset that includes the valuable plant collection.”

A consultation on the plans was delayed which allowed Taylor Wimpey to launch an appeal. The application is now be decided by a government inspector.