Godalming resident John Bennett claims that MP Jeremy Hunt and Waverley Leader Paul Follows met on 28 November 2024 to discuss widening a critical artery between Farncombe and Godalming. The artery is a 100-meter-long narrow path (adjacent to the railway) from Farncombe Street to Marshall Road.
Jeremy Hunt’s office told him that Waverley had been “most active in taking forward this very long running issue” (from 1995), yet residents remained ignorant of any progress.
In a Q to the full council, he asked?
Q
Therefore, may we please have a clear understanding of what is planned and who is responsible? Autumn 2025 is the ideal time to complete the necessary work, as Network Rail will be closing the line temporarily to renew the signalling.
R
Public Footpath 16 (FP16) runs about 10m south from Farncombe station to the northern end of Marshall Road. The path is narrow, often less than 1.5m wide and constrained by private, closed-board fencing to the east and the Network Rail fence line to the west. Co-operation is needed from Network Rail to license or dedicate their land, and from Surrey County Council as the Highways and Pubic Rights of Way authority. Waverley Borough Council has contacted Network Rail to investigate the potential width of land adjacent to FP16 that might be licensed or dedicated to the highway and is prepared to pay for Network Rail survey costs and legal fees. The council has also been in contact with Surrey County Council (SCC) in the context of SCC’s Farncombe Local Street Improvement design project. We are currently waiting for a response from Network Rail to its initial offer to fund a survey of the embankment.