Here we come… Cranleigh New Town…
Those duplicitous individuals who call themselves Parish, Borough and County Councillors, (who told us in May they were there to represent OUR views, not THEIR views), are trying to dig themselves out of the big bottomless pit, they have dug for themselves.
Instead of coming clean about their ‘secret’ meeting with their favoured developers, (who are eager to carve out Cranleigh New Town with them); behind closed doors, they leapt into print in the local media, claiming their efforts are merely intended to “solve Cranleigh’s highway problems”.
Really? Really? REALLY? We’ll start believing them when Nelson gets his eye back!
That lovely councillor couple, Stewart and Jeanette Stennett, are at least honest about what they want to see:
And there we were thinking Councillor Mrs Stennett was going to protect our green fields but, in reality, only 150 homes will be placed in a ‘Community Land Trust’, when the total number of homes proposed by the developers she and her hubby are cosying up to around the table, adds up to more than 1,000. Not so many there then! Oh, but of course, we nearly forgot, Councillor Mrs Stennett and her altruistic husband, Councillor Stewart Stennett, are proposing to given the borough another 30 houses on long term loan …
Councillor Mrs Stennett also tells us that: “Cranleigh Hospital is to be built with 12 beds free at the point of entry, funded by the NHS”.
How wonderful! And there we were thinking that the residents of Cranleigh had raised over £1m for a replacement hospital. Meanwhile, the Trustees, (one of whom is a would-be Cranleigh developer), refuse to refund money raised by charitably-minded local residents and well-meaning local businesses.
Mrs Stennett also claims a new Health Centre is proposed… What? Hang on.. Why??? The NHS has just spent £7m on a new Health Centre in the village centre.
Rumour has it, that the Stennetts are so keen on local jobs for local people that they want to build two more commercial sites in Cranleigh by extending Manfield Park Industrial Estate onto the Green Belt and building on a strategic gap which separates the settlement of Rowley from Cranleigh. Has anyone mentioned that little plan to Councillors Band and Goodrich, just up the road at Wonersh and Shamley Green?
The Stennetts have all the support they could wish for from that other ‘daring-do-duo’, Councillors Ellis & Ellis, Brian and Patricia. Councillor Brian Ellis was chairing the meeting with the developers but did he tell his colleagues on Cranleigh Parish Council about the meeting before or after he got caught red-handed with his fingers in the cookie jar?
Cranleigh residents assume these two have their best interests at heart but have they? Your guess is as good as ours! After all, Waverley Planning Officers had recommended refusal of the Knowle Park Initiative planning application to build homes on fields that flood – not to mention the loss of jobs on the existing garden nursery site – but, undeterred, the Ellises called in the planning application to the Central Planning Committee, no doubt hoping they can persuade their colleagues on the Committee, (Members from Farnham, Godalming and Haslemere), to push it through in the teeth of opposition from Waverley Planners, the vast majority of Cranleigh residents and the Flood Authorities.
Councillor Brian Ellis says he doesn’t want development in Cranleigh to “detract from the character we all love about OUR village”. He would do well to remember that it is OUR village, not HIS village. Generations of Cranleigh people will hold him to account. Just remember too – there are over 200 homes proposed in Ewhurst, not to mention 350 proposed in Alfold, where Thakeham Homes are planning to pump all their sewage up to Cranleigh because Alfold can’t cope with its own shit and Loxwood doesn’t want their shit– so all the shit is being dumped in Cranleigh. Way to go Cranleigh Parish Council!
Wait until all that shit hits the fan dear Mr Ellis … it won’t just be egg on your face, that’s for sure! No town, village or borough is an island – remember that! Time to stop digging around in the sewers dear Councillors?
What we need are people to represent us who have integrity and are faithful to those they ‘serve’ – and it is MEANT to be a ‘service’ to the people…not a ‘lord it over everyone else’. Like our present bunch of politicians in Parliament, the same old, same old… self-serving sycophancy of those supposedly in positions of ‘trust’……….
I grew up in Cranleigh and it is sad to see these ‘representatives’ riding roughshod over the wishes, needs and well-being of the people who live there,– without whom, they would not even have what should be, their ‘privileged, valued and respected” roles in this community.
This is such a beautiful area, and these councillors’ main concern and responsibility should be to keep it so, and be loyal to their constituents, not to sell-out to the greedy and arrogant ‘developers’ who often have so little sense of what is truly of value.