Recently, the elephant in Waverley’s Borough made a trunk call.

Some local sceptics believed Dunsfold Park’s very own  Nellie the White Elephant had packed her trunk and said goodbye to the Dunsfold Circus.

Then, a few posters recently announced an invitation to a Public Consultation from the New Kids on the Block: GummerLeathes Trinity College Cambridge’s new Master Developer. According to GummerLeathes themselves, they were appointed following a competition in 2023 to lead the development.

Well, all we can say is, if BummerLeathes won the competition, what the feck were their opponents like?! The PG Tips’ chimps could have organised a better party – but more of that later.

So, it’s chocks away for the Flying Scot, and in parachutes Gummer Junior, son of John. And, if this Consultation was anything to go by, Junior shouldn’t have eaten that Mad Cow Burger his father virtually forced down his throat!  

According to their blurb, the new Master Developers are bringing an entire team of employees and consultants with the experience to bring a project for 2,600 homes plus ancillary buildings and industrial development to fruition. 

So, there you have it, folks, Dunsfold Garden Village, here we come …

Or do we …? Some consultant chump – or do we mean chimp? – at the Consultation,  was overheard telling the good folk of Alfold, Cranleigh and Dunsfold that if there were any problems bringing in the utilities to the Aerodrome, the development couldn’t go ahead! WTF?!?!  

 Over the years, the Waverley Web has dipped its toe into the controversial scheme to build the Borough’s largest housing scheme on the former BAE and WW2 airfield at Dunsfold. The programme includes 1800 – but, ultimately, 2600 – homes, shops, schools, business premises and industrial space and after the stop/start / start/stop that’s been going on ever since COVID, we pricked up our ears when we heard rumours of a Public Consultation … And there’s the rub: this Public Consultation was so poorly advertised by the New Kids on the Block that very few locals even knew it was happening. 

Give the Flying Scot his due; when he consulted, EVERYONE knew about it, and he took it out into the local community rather than expecting the local community to come to him. We at the Waverley Web pride ourselves on knowing what’s happening borough-wide. However, if our Cranleigh correspondent hadn’t spoken to a neighbour who works in the Business Park and mentioned it in passing, we wouldn’t have known about it. We have our ears to the ground! Or maybe that’s the point. Perhaps the New Kids on the Block didn’t want the Waverley Web to know about it. They tried to slip it under our radar. FAT CHANCE!

But enough conspiracy theories, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty as there’s more than enough to keep us busy there:

Starting with the Consultation invite, when we finally tracked down a copy, we had to read it not twice but thrice because it looked like an extract from Gummer Junior’s Diary, aged 13¾! It was littered with utterly superfluous exclamation marks!

Turning to the exhibition boards, they were FAR TOO SMALL! We can only assume BummerLeathes didn’t want the locals to read their proposal without their specs and a magnifying glass. However, our mole was somewhat nonplussed in noting that the opportunity to build a new place [at Dunsfold Park] from scratch is THRILLING. You don’t say!

Tim Leathes and Ben Gummer, creators of the business (GummerLeathes), think the Consultation offers a FABULOUS opportunity to speak with residents and neighbours. Er, do they believe this Consultation malarky is a new concept and that no one has consulted with the local community before they came up with the bright idea?

 It would have been more reassuring if their exhibition boards had referred to the new approach road, Canada Avenue, by its actual name and not misnamed Canada WAY …  Locals, they’re clearly not! The entire Consultation crew seemed to have been parachuted in from North London! That is with the exception of the transport consultant who – those with long memories may recall – used to work for Protect our Waverley! Talk about Gamekeeper turned Poacher. Do BummerLeathes think residents came up the River Wey in a Banana Boat?!  

And, whilst we’re talking about Canada Avenue, what chump chose that photo??? Throughout the Spring, local people were entranced by the beauty of the new roundabout on the A281 and the approach road to Dunsfold Park. Swathed in wildflowers – stunning daisies, poppies and other glorious meadow flowers – it has been a visual feast for the eyes, a source of joy to commuters and locals alike. Do these New Kids on the Block use a photo of Canada Avenue in all its glory? Do they heck, their photo is of a load of bald green stubble? Whoever’s running their PR needs a serious rethink! Their literature is full of hyperbole and superfluous punctuation but completely lacks content. Hence the Waverley Web’s verdict: What a Bummer! He needs to do better!

And forgive us, but doesn’t it seem odd that the award-winning team in place when the Flying Scot was the master developer and won the prestigious Francis Tibbalds Award for their original scheme has been dumped? It’s back to the drawing board. Talk about reinventing the wheel.

But do not worry; collectively, [the new team is]

looking to create long-term value and a meaningful legacy rather than short-term profit. 

We’ll believe that when we see it. If BummerLeathes weren’t so busy reinventing the wheel, all the money they’re spending on a raft of new consultants to revisit and rehash the scheme could have been put into community projects in the local area … but, if they did that, BummerLeathes cash register wouldn’t be making such an immensely satisfying KERCHING!

But, in summary, despite our reservations set out here, the Waverley Web will admit that the Jury’s out. The public is thrilled that something seems to be finally happening on Waverley’s biggest-ever White Elephant before an incoming Labour government concretes over any more green fields, so there’s still time for BummerLeathes to turn this around.

You can read the latest cunning plans here: DP_Exhibition Boards_A1_Low Res