A major new housing development could reshape the village of Tongham as Guildford Borough Council considers a planning application for up to 420 homes on land at Manor Farm, The Street, Tongham (GU10 1DG) under reference 25/P/01728, validated on 12 January 2026. The outline application proposes demolition of existing buildings and redevelopment of the farmland site, including new access routes, large areas of green space, and a dedicated Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG).
The scheme, submitted by Taylor Wimpey, encompasses residential development, a new link road, cycling and walking routes, and the partial relocation of the locally significant hop garden operated by the Hogs Back Brewery. The proposal also includes drainage and landscape infrastructure designed to address local flooding concerns. The plans show the housing elements to be built in the north of the site, leaving the southern section as a SANG (Green Space).
What’s in the application?
The scheme allows for up to 420 dwellings, with developer materials indicating around 40% affordable housing. The application (25/P/01728) confirms 420 total units, though bedroom mix will be set later at the reserved matters stage.
Access
Two new vehicle points are proposed: one on Poyle Road and one on The Street. New walking and cycling routes and a through‑site link road form a core part of the transport strategy.
Green Space and SANG
The outline and supporting reports indicate more than 24 hectares of green space, including play areas, ecological zones and a designated SANG (Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace). Veteran trees are confirmed on site and are classified as irreplaceable habitat under national biodiversity rules. The biodiversity metric baseline is 159.07 units, calculated on 19 November 2025.
Hop Garden
The long‑established hop garden serving the Hogs Back Brewery would be partly relocated to allow the development to proceed. This feature is repeatedly highlighted because hop growing is a distinctive part of Tongham’s identity.
Drainage and Energy
The submission includes a drainage strategy referencing sustainable drainage systems intended to avoid increasing flood risk downstream. Developer communications also refer to solar panels, all‑electric heating and construction waste reduction.
Planning Context and Why Tongham Is Under Pressure
Taylor Wimpey argues that Manor Farm is in a sustainable location. The site is within walking distance of shops, schools and services, and the A31 corridor provides links to Aldershot, Farnham and Guildford. Their consultation website also states that about 58 % of the site could remain green open space.
However, Tongham and nearby Ash have already taken on significant development. Ash Lodge Park added 481 homes, and local councillors have warned that GP appointments, school capacity and road layouts are already stretched. In previous public engagements, councillors stated that further housing must be matched with concrete and timely infrastructure improvements.
Taylor Wimpey has positioned the site as sustainable due to its proximity to shops, schools and transport connections. Their consultation website claims that the land is within a five-minute walk of key amenities and that around 58 % of the site would remain green or open.
However, this comes after a series of sizeable developments in the Ash and Tongham area. The Ash Lodge Park development added 481 homes and has already stretched local GP capacity and road networks. Local councillors have publicly warned that infrastructure must be improved before further housing is approved.
Infrastructure Issues That Could Decide the Application
Traffic and Transport
Residents regularly highlight congestion on The Street, Poyle Road and around the Grange Road mini‑roundabout. The Transport Assessment submitted with the application will be critical in showing whether the two new access points and the proposed link road actually improve conditions or simply shift traffic problems elsewhere.
The land has a relevant planning history. A 2016 hybrid application for 254 (16/P/00222) homes on the same wider Manor Farm land parcel also raised concerns about access and highway capacity. That earlier application described the site boundaries as the A31 to the south, The Street to the east and Grange Road to the northwest, underscoring that the same road network would support an even larger development now. It also required a SANG on land east of Tongham Road, illustrating long‑standing environmental and highways constraints linked to this location.
Flooding
Tongham experiences surface water issues after heavy rainfall. The current application states that drainage will be managed through sustainable systems, including attenuation features. Planning officers will scrutinise whether this claim holds under climate‑change rainfall scenarios.
Healthcare and Schools
Local residents regularly express concern on social media and in local reporting about the pressure on GP services and school places in the area. The wider Ash and Tongham area has already placed a significant strain on primary healthcare, and councillors have warned that doctors and school places must be addressed if further housing is to be approved. While the developer states that financial contributions may be made to support local services, the specific amounts and timing of such infrastructure improvements will not be confirmed until later stages of the planning process. Experience from nearby developments, such as Ash Lodge Park, shows that residents are often just as concerned about when infrastructure will be delivered as they are about how much investment is promised
Environmental Trade‑offs
The application identifies protected or priority species and notes the presence of veteran trees on the site. These trees are classed as irreplaceable habitat, which places strict limits on development layout and mitigation. The biodiversity metric submission reflects new national requirements for Biodiversity Net Gain, meaning the developer must demonstrate an overall increase in environmental value.
Relocating part of the Hogs Back Brewery hop garden also carries cultural and operational implications. The brewery has invested heavily in its hop infrastructure at Manor Farm in recent years, reinforcing concerns about how relocation might affect crop yields, events and its identity as a farm‑based brewer.
Community Response: Visible Opposition
Across Tongham, opposition to the Manor Farm development has become highly visible online. Social media users have expressed alarm about the scale of the proposal, warning that hundreds of new homes could intensify pressure on already‑stretched local services. Posts frequently reference concerns about traffic congestion, flooding risk, GP capacity, and the loss of village character.
Residents commenting on social platforms have also questioned whether Tongham’s infrastructure can absorb a development of this size, echoing long‑standing worries about the balance between growth and sustainability. Many argue that while affordable housing is important, roads, healthcare and school provision must be upgraded first. Others highlight dramatic landscape change and the potential erosion of Tongham’s rural identity as key reasons for objecting.
What Happens Next
Guildford Borough Council is accepting public comments on application 25/P/01728 until 13 February 2026. After consultation, planning officers will prepare a recommendation for the Planning Committee. The outcome will depend on highways evidence, drainage assurances, biodiversity compliance, community infrastructure commitments and the long‑term viability of the hop garden.
Visit The GBC Planning portal guildford.gov.uk/article/24686/Search-for-information-about-a-planning-application and search for application 25/P/01728