But, Inspector Gary Smith, borough commander for Waverley, said: “With regards to a magic wand about what we can do, I’m afraid I haven’t got a clue.”

No doubt he will do something when he knows our Wannabe Prime Minister Jeremy Hunt lives in Markwick Lane? Perhaps there will be a flyover over Mares Pond? 

Councillors are calling for action to stop HGVs using rural roads as rat-runs through the Surrey Hills. 

They claim Surrey County Council is not taking problems seriously enough and needs to act on the issue of heavy lorries. thundering through rural lanes.

Prompted by members of the public, councillors want Matt Furniss, SCC’s cabinet member for highways, to meet them to discuss what can be done about lorries using rural lanes including Markwick Lane, Hascombe and the Shere Road over Winterfold as shortcuts. Lorries are regularly stuck in the Shere Cut.

Resident Paul Osborne presented a 250-signature petition calling for a 7.5-tonne weight restriction on  HGVs on Waverley’s rural roads which revealed how bad the situation had become between Milford’s Station Lane to Markwick Lane, Loxhill. (SW Surrey MP Jeremy Hunt lives at Mares Pond.) Mr Osborne wants planners and highways to enforce construction traffic management.

He said residents were concerned about the “exponential growth of traffic” between the A3 at Milford and the A281 in Cranleigh. “Surrey CC Highways has ignored the cumulative impact of extra traffic generated on this route by construction traffic from 3,000 new homes now being built in Cranleigh and the eastern villages, and those proposed at Dunsfold Park, and Milford Golf Course.

“If Cranleigh tip closes it will create an extra 15% traffic using this direct route to Witley tip. This east-west route will suffer a severe environmental and safety impact. This needs to be addressed urgently.”

Mr Osborne had been monitoring road usage revealing  that more than 3,000 vehicles a day, with 45% being commercial users were using the road and drivers repeatedly ignored the ‘Unsuitable for HGV” signs.’

 Cllr Richard Seaborne (Bramley) said: “I drive down that road and find it a most uncomfortable experience. HGVs certainly cause the worst of the problems. The Surrey Hills is full of examples of this.

SCC member Cllr Andrew Povey said: “I think we are not taking the issue seriously enough in the county council. It’s a problem on a wider scale.”

 Cllr Denis Leigh had stopped using Markwick Lane said:  “I am not prepared to put my car through the damage.” He claimed there were “serious tensions” in communities and a “disconnect” between what residents experience and what highways authorities reported.

Highways officers and police officers said it was hard to enforce a weight restriction. Frank Apicella, SCC area highway manager, said: “We have many roads like this in the Surrey Hills with the same problem, narrow lanes not suitable for this type of vehicle.” Saying there were already signs warning drivers it was unsuitable for passing.

Inspector Gary Smith, borough commander for Waverley, said traffic officers would need to look at the whole problem and not just one road in isolation, but warned their resources were stretched.   “Our biggest issue is reducing road death. That’s not to belittle this. I use the road regularly so I know what a problem it can be. While we want to do our bit, it would not be top of the list for priorities for Surrey police traffic enforcement.”

“With regards to a magic wand about what we can do, I’m afraid I haven’t got a clue.”

Mr Osborne said enforcement was not the reason for the weight restriction, but signs would act as a deterrent and a warning to drivers to stay away from using the rural roads as a rat-run through the Surrey Hills.

Committee chairman Cllr Victoria Young said the problem was a concern for the whole of the borough and should be looked at in a “more holistic manner.” She said she will contact Cllr Furniss and ask him to attend a meeting.

A video compiled by Mr Osborne showing the scale of the problem in one part of the Surrey Hills was shown to councillors before the meeting. It can be seen here http://www.gu8superfast.co.uk/

What a difference a day makes – or, in this case, a week or two.

On 5 March The Sorry Advertiser announced – via Get Surrey – that:

Farnborough Airshow’s public weekend has been PERMANENTLY CANCELLED due to declining popularity and attendance.

But, roll on a couple of weeks, to 25 March, and The Sorry Advertiser is proclaiming – again via Get Surrey now referred to as Surrey’s dogging website – that:

Wings & Wheels airshow AXED! When in fact it will take place for the last time over the Fathers’ Day weekend June 15/16.

One begins to wonder just how much further the Sorry Ad can sink in its Dunsfold-Bashing vendetta? Couldn’t be anything to do with one of its directors living on the airfield perimeter fence – could it?

How on earth can it hope to be considered impartial in its reporting when it provides sympathetic and reasoned coverage of the demise of Farnborough’s public weekend ‘due to the declining popularity of airshows and poor attendance in recent years’ and yet totally ignores the fact that Wings & Wheels which has suffered the same fate as Farnborough – and many other UK airshows after the Shoreham tragedy – but without the week-long global aerospace, defence and space trade event, which underpins and bolsters Farnborough’s finances?

Is this just poor journalism or sour grapes?

But never mind, some people couldn’t be happier about the imminent demise of Wings & Wheels: according to the mutter in the Cranleigh gutter. An outfit supported by a Cranleigh developer is hosting a folk festival in Knowle Lane in aid of St Nicholas Church.  on the new Cranleigh Showground aka country park. This is, licence permitting, intended to replace Wings & Wheels in the hearts and minds of the village … in addition to bringing the entire village to a standstill if the 20,000 visitors they’re anticipating do indeed descend on Cranleigh!

PS No doubt Dunsfold Park’s arch enemy, Little Britton, will be rushing out the invites for his annual knees-up at the Aerodrome’s expense. Our Dunsfold Village correspondent tells us Little Britton and his Missus like to erect a marquee in their garden, overlooking the Aerodrome, and invite their nearest and dearest to witness the jamboree for free!

Perhaps, he and the numerous other freebie spectators would like to drop the odd coin into Dunsfold’s coffers, for the numerous charities it has supported over the past 20+ years. Charities which have included the now, disgraced Cranleigh Village Hospital Trust? Who,  rather than building a hospital and day hospital it pledged after duping thousands of fund-raising residents,  now intends to build a private care home and community beds for the people of Guildford, Waverley and Surrey!

Couldn’t be supported by the same people behind the new Cranleigh relief road between Knowle Lane and Alfold Rd – could it?  Surely not using the church as yet another vehicle to get another cunning development plan while by-passing the planners by sleight of hand, could it? Surely not?

Thanks to the swinging demolition balls of developers Crest Nicholson and ‘Your Waverley,’ Farnham’s much loved Redgrave Theatre has been reduced to a pile of rubble.’

It will now make way for Blightwells Yard which, all of us here in Farnham, will now be well aware includes this huge chunk of shops and restaurants! In which Surrey County Council has invested £57m of our money in 28 retail units!

 Waverley’s FB page contains an image of the Blightwells development, featuring some generic and vague shops.
We thought we would tweak it slightly for them…

Business will never forgive the Conservative Government for its failure to deliver BREXIT.  And, the people of Farnham will never forgive Waverley Borough Council for sacrificing a once highly valued venue for culture and entertainment, which we all now so badly need,  for a shedload of homes and shops. 

Along with the Redgrave family and the people of Farnham, WE here at the Waverley say to Farnham’s Redgrave.

REST IN PEACE.

PS. The head honcho of Crest Nicholson – Patrick Bergin has just been ousted. wonder why?

As Benjamin Franklin said in 1789

“In this world, nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes.” 

Most have accepted that both ‘Your Waverley’ and Surrey Councils, have increased council tax by the maximum 3.9%, but it is the hidden increases, like those outlined in the table below, that go unnoticed. 

Because when ‘Your Waverley’ presented its budget it only chortled on about not putting up car parking charges and continuing its support (not increasing. So a year-on-year reduction)  to the voluntary sector! It failed to mention that hundreds of increases in council charge for everything from recreation to planning, legal searches to dying. All voted through, without comment.

Neither did anyone mention that Surrey County Council has increased its share of council tax 20 times during the past 21 years – and last year was thwarted when it proposed increasing council tax by 15%!

You couldn’t Adam and Eve it. The law-abiding good people of Haslemere having decided not to sit idly by and watch their countryside suffer from the onward march of developers. Erect the sign featured below. Then along comes the jobsworths from Waverley and demand its removal – or else!

Because it was – ‘Political Advertising!”

Residents were told they could face a  fine by the Magistrates Court of £2,500 and a daily fine of £250! What is this, the Soviet bloc?

What? Fine and deprive the innocent people of Haslemere of free speech? God help us here at the Waverley Web then, if and when they find us. Jankers for life? Or even worse, tread on our web?

Oh! no… if you want to rule and thrive let a spider run alive?

WHY did this stupid council act in such a draconian way?

SIMPLES… Because residents dared to demonstrate how much they care for their beautiful countryside during an election period. Perish the thought that the voting fodder of Haslemere gives a damn about politics. After all, didn’t they just vote onto the town council a Hindhead Tory despite knowing he insulted the residents of Cranleigh & Ewhurst in his bid to cover their countryside in concrete? The other councillor for Hindhead has gone AWOL!

More prats deserting Waverley’s sinking Tory ship?Will the people of Haslemere vote for more of the same at a Town Council by-election to-day?

If you are a Tory you can put two fingers up to the organisation – and they will make excuses for you?

So why such indecent haste, to use an iron fist to get ‘the offensive’ sign removed? How stupid of ‘Yor Waverley’ to offend every, man, woman and child in True Blue Tory land – just weeks before the election.  Everyone is aware that the Local Plan Part 2 includes several Haslemere sites for development. Including 50 homes in an Area of Great Landscape Value in Scotland Lane. And that it was delayed, by the Tory tossers until after the May election to ensure Haslemere remained True Blue!! Devious or what?

So what excuse did Waverley’s enforcement Wallies give for their draconian action?

“Because Waverley has an obligation to protect the sensitive Waverley environment from indiscriminate and harmful signage.”

Is that the same Waverley we hear you cry, that allowed ancient woodland to be damaged in Farnham in Cranleigh, Dunsfold, and elsewhere across the borough. Who allowed the bats at East Street to be destroyed,  badgers to be drowned in Cranleigh, and has threatened the future of Special Protection Areas, including endangered birdlife by ignoring Environmental Law!!

What a monumental bunch of hypocrites!

Here’s the sign.

Residents lining up to take down the offending “political sign” – rather than risk a £2,500 fine and £250 per day! 

You can upset some of the people, some of the time and get away with it. But, not all of the people all of the time.