Affordable housing at a garden village planned for Walton will be allocated to current Elmbridge residents, Drake Park developers have said.

Revised proposals for the Drake Park development on greenbelt land off Fieldcommon Lane were unveiled at a second round of public consultation exhibitions on Wednesday, July 9, to address concerns and issues raised in the initial round of consultation.

Drake Park would contain 1,000 homes, a mix of private ownership and affordable homes, a primary school, a pub, 70-acre park, a medical centre and supermarket.

Developer Bonnar Allan said they made changes to the proposal after listening to feedback from neighbours at previous exhibitions.

The changes include increasing the size of the primary school from 300 places to 420, negotiating an extension to three bus routes and ensuring affordable housing will go to people on the Elmbridge Council housing waiting list.

Chris Martin, from the Drake Park community consultation team, said: "There is a great number of people on the Elmbridge waiting list, families and single people who would benefit from having somewhere to live, but unfortunately there is not the supply of property in the borough.

"There is not a supply to meet that demand and there is no other way to provide the levels of housing that is needed unless we something to tackle the problem head on."

Bonnar Allan has also commissioned a feasibility study into widening the road at Hersham Station to alleviate traffic congestion along Molesey Road and will pay £3.6m to Surrey County Council for investment to create 175 additional secondary school places.

Malcolm Reid, 65, of Meadowside, said he was completely in favour of the proposals and their amendments and did not believe they would cause problems for Molesey Road.

He said: "The traffic is bad mainly because the gas and utility companies keep digging up the road, but it otherwise flows.

"Perhaps if some mothers let their children walk to school it would improve."

But Walton Ambleside Councillor Andrew Kelly said he had "huge concerns" about the plans and the fact Bonnar Allan had failed to mention the plans were for greenbelt land.

He said: "They have to be careful about the benefits when they can’t promise them at this stage.

"They haven’t mentioned any very special circumstances about the development because they have not mentioned it is greenbelt.

"If they think there is a reason, they should be open and honest and tell residents."