Category: Cranleigh

Cranleigh leads Waverley’s Town Business Initiative.

Cromwell Cottage Tea rooms were once two thriving businesses in the heart of Cranleigh. They are now rumoured to become residential units if planning consent is achieved.

The eastern Town is first in Waverley’s line-up for a High Street boost.

The Waverley initiative, supported by Cranleigh businesses and the Chamber of Commerce, is set to beat Farnham and Godalming in the race to improve the borough’s high streets.

Cranleigh High Street has been in the doldrums following the Pandemic and the closure of its premier High Street Store, Manns of Cranleigh. When the 150-year-old store shut up shop 18 months ago – it was like losing three front teeth in the street vista. It is set to become a Churchill Retirement Complex with several small shops. The townsfolk also lamented the closure of the Popular adjacent cafe and shop in Cromwell Cottage. 

The proposal comprises of one building sub divided into 3 distinctive blocks former David Manns

Waverley has recognised that the Pandemic and the move to online shipping have affected all the borough’s high streets and plans to create Business Development Districts to encourage more footfall.

In Waverley, retail offers 6,000 jobs, second to the education sector with 8,000 jobs.

Waverley Borough Council (WBC) is a business ratepayer and will have several votes (relating to the number of rateable properties) to cast on the ballot. If the poll outcome is positive, the Council will be required to pay the levy contribution, regardless of how the Council voted on the ballot. The estimated cost to the Council in the event of favourable votes in each town is set out here:

 

Councillors suggested that Cranleigh could benefit from improved WI-Fi coverage in the High Street, which currently has scant mobile phone coverage. It also suffers considerable anti-social behaviour and low-level crime. Businesses say the police presence is one officer who periodically visits the area and is unavailable when required.

The bid would improve connectivity and improve police liaison – deal with graffiti and litter, and enhance the ambience.

Here is the Cranleigh Group leading the initiative with Waverley Officer’s help.

The business communities in Cranleigh, Farnham and Godalming are progressing with developing Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) and intend to go to the ballot in June (Cranleigh) and October (Farnham and Godalming) 2023. Haslemere has withdrawn from the process.

The Farnham and Godalming BIDs will have slightly different local flavours to their destination marketing, cleaning, business support and safety proposals.

More new homes on their way to Cranleigh?

Waverley Planners will soon face yet another extensive housing development in Cranleigh, New Town.

It has been a battle of the Dicks who can first build new homes in the once-rural village. Richard Womack, former owner of David Mann’s Furniture and home Store, or Richard Graham, owner of 140’s store and restaurant.

David Mann’s Cranleigh is set to become a Churchill Retirement complex.

You can view the whole plan on the link below.

https://www.landeastofknowlelane.co.uk/

 

As Cranleigh’s green fields disappear at an alarming rate, along comes another cunning plan. This time to surround the Snoxhall playing fields and 29 acres of yet another part of Knowle Lane with new builds.
Gleeson homes want to build shedloads of homes and wrap them around Cranleigh Football Club’s grounds at Snoxhall and carry on the development along Knowle Lane.

Will these greedy Cranleigh landowners ever have enough money the Waverley Web wonders? Gridlocked Cranleigh, here it comes!

The Cranleigh (Unapproved) Neighbourhood Plan recently revealed that it has not only met but has exceeded the minimum requirement for housing allocations by Waverley. Unfortunately, Waverley Borough Council still does not have a 5-year housing land supply. So a couple of hundred new homes in Knowle Lane would undoubtedly help enormously.

 

Jeremy Hunt – boundary changes are ‘terrible for me personally’

Will our MP soon become MP for Ash Vale??

In the new chancellors’ constituency email, Jeremy Hunt admitted the proposed Constituency Boundary changes were a real challenge. He said:

“This week, the proposals for new parliamentary constituency boundaries in England, Scotland & Northern Ireland have just been published by the relevant Boundary Commissions.

I need to understand the implications of the report, which are terrible for me personally. After proudly representing Godalming, Farnham & Haslemere (and their surrounding villages) for over 17 years, it looks like I will have to choose between two halves of a constituency that is basically being cut in two – a frankly impossible and heart-breaking choice. There is now a 4-week consultation, and I will not be rushing this particularly difficult decision.”

Oh, dear! Now poor old Jeremy has something else on his mind other than filling that big black hole in the nation’s finances. Hanging on to his seat?

Here is the proposed split of South West Surrey:

Godalming and Ash Constituency :

This includes Godalming, splits Haslemere in half, and adds Shalford, Shamley Green, and Cranleigh and Ash from Guildford. Ash? Really? Not sure going over the North Downs is something we ever do in Waverley!

Farnham and Bordon Constituency:
Farnham adds Headley, Lindford, and Whitehall and Bordon new towns and retains Haslemere East. A whole new growth area and a very different constituency area!

A University town and a new town – may not bode well for a true blue candidate.

 

Amber Parkside – Volume 2. Or buying a property from A2 DOMINION? – better read this first.

    • We had an unprecedented response to our post last Friday. So, here comes more on this disgraceful Cranleigh development.

      Light Blight at Cranleigh’s Amber Parkside.

      It would appear that poor Annette is not the only disgruntled purchaser of the new A2 Dominion Homes at Amber Parkside in Alfold Road, Cranleigh. 

      There are more -many more! Because defects abound and the whole place is lit up like a Gatwick Runway and the residents will psy the bill! The only place that remains in the dark – is the entrance sign on Amber Park where the lights don’t work! 

      Our comments page and our mailbox have been groaning under the weight of further complaints and suggestions on how to bring developers A2 Dominion and Waverley Planners to book. However, we understand from an expert that it isn’t a planning matter.

      Don’t developers have to adhere to the conditions on their planning consents any longer?

      The WW has been researching this developer. It appears that A2 Dominion has permission to build over one hundred homes on the other side of Alfold Road. It had planning consent for 110 homes and has just increased the number by another 36. So maybe we can prevent this misery from happening to other poor souls in the wanna-buy market.

      The Waverley Web has stirred up a stink in the village, which, we understand from past newspaper articles, boasts the title ‘Cranleigh Cares.’ Judging by the number of comments sympathising with poor Annette – some still do care.

      Perhaps the publicity that has been generated will prompt the three  Cranleigh men behind this shocking fiasco to stand up and be counted.

      Shame on you, A2Dominion – give them their money back or put these defects right and compensate Annette for all the misery you have put her through!


       

      This is just a sample of the comments we have received. Others we have with-held as some recent purchasers are terrified the value of their homes will have dropped by many thousands.

      Georgie Freeman

      Our property still has outstanding snags, and we moved in March. Nothing is properly built, and twice, the shower has broken. One time it fell on me in the bath whilst heavily pregnant; the second time, it fell on my 3-year-old and cut all his face and the top of his head. We still can’t put blinds up downstairs due to outstanding work. The front door doesn’t shut properly, the weep vents are fake, there are hundreds of things still wrong, and we were initially lied to when buying as 2/3 of the toilets aren’t suitable for my husband’s disability. It’s been awful from start to finish. Even the other day, I was blocked in from driving to our house by the builders on each end (with three year old and a smelly 4-month-old that needed a change). When I asked them to move, they said,
      ‘It’s not my problem’.
      It’s a shame as we have really loved the new area.
      Here’s Claire New’s take!!

      Danielle Allum

      I really hope the lighting issue gets resolved to better the environment and residents’ requests… I can’t imagine the havoc it must be wreaking for the local fauna.
      Very much a shameful oversight whilst building a nice eco park right next door! The vision just isn’t matching up!

      Alethea Holden

      What a surprise to see Bamford involved, not!

      Graham Alderton

      You should’ve seen the fantastic wildflower beds. Ok, so one bed was wildflowers sown too heavily, but the rest were 4ft high weeds that the developers were insisting were, in fact, wildflowers.
      Air rifle…!

      • Margi Plank

        Very interesting reading. Perhaps Angela Richardson could get her teeth into this as well – she is our MP. That personnel involved in the development, I.e. Bamford, Vrijland and Leahy via A2 Dominion, once they’ve got their planning approved, seem to “disappear”! SOMEONE is responsible – perhaps Angela could do a title digging to find out WHO!

        Josie Wheeler

        This poor person, what an absolute nightmare 😢
      There are many more complaints on our Comments Page, and we have given up trawling through all the e-mail messages from disgruntled purchasers of these homes.
      PS. since writing this post we have had even more shocking revelations! Watch this space.

 

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