Everything changes – and everything stays the same – in “Poor old Cranleigh.”

A Cranleigh resident sent us this news cutting taken from a local paper – didn’t say which one – we presume the Sorry Ad –  dated 1987?

And – you wouldn’t Adam and Eve it – but the name Nick Vrijland lept  off the page as 30 years ago when Cllr Elwyn Williams was chairman of Cranleigh ~Parish Council the Flying Dutchman wanted to do a – yes – you guessed – “a land swap.” What for – we hear you cry  – was it for a Private Nursing Home or a hospital – no it was for a “small amount of development” and a service road through Knowle Park with local builder the late Mr Gordon Thomas. 

Now – unlike the land swap that took place in 2002 – with the Cranleigh Village Hospital Trust – the earlier land swap was viewed with slightly more than a little scepticism by the  Wily Cllr Williams.

However, it would appear that if you hang on in there – all your dreams will come true because the Knowle Park ~Inititative has been approved by Waverley including a new road – but the scheme has hit the buffers because the Environment Agency has objected to the owners moving the stream and upsetting the wildlife.

Perhaps the Environment Agency has decided to act as the same developer dredged the Cranleigh Waters on his West Cranleigh ~Nurseries land, which altered the flow of the river further downstream,  affecting other development in Elmbridge?

 “Oh what a tangled web you weave when once you practise to deceive.”

EA objection to Parkland 15-01-19

We are including a pdf of the article you can enjoy reading it word for word. Knowle Park2

So Clogs away…

The moral of the tale: If at first you don’t succeed – try, try and try again! Because that “modest little amount of housing” became 265+. And the other little land swap for a Hospital and a Day Hospital morphed into an 80-bed Private CARE Home! We have updated our earlier post – because even we are totally confused. Because WW thought it was a NURSING HOME. Big difference – care workers not nurses!!