Category: Waverley Borough Council

Traffic gridlock in Farnham.

Farnham traffic gridlock sparks frustration among motorists

And to add to the local misery – the Wrecclesham Bridge has been hit again!!!

Motorists using Farnham town centre are not happy bunnies as

Major gridlocks have occurred across Farnham in recent weeks, causing delays.

 Temporary traffic lights at the top of Downing Street at its junction with West Street and The Borough, as part of the Infrastructure Project Works, are part of the cause.. However, it is wise to remember that we ARE TRAFFIC, and you cannot make omelettes without breaking eggs. The result could be in all our interests. At least we can live in hope.

Commenting on social media, Cllr Chris Jackman, said: “I am just as annoyed as anybody else seeing this. I’m still greatly concerned by the right turn from Castle Street with no lights.”

Another said.

It’s not gridlock; it’s just slow and inevitable during work. The shift from a car-dominated town centre to one where pedestrians have, at last, a safer environment is long overdue.

As always, motorists need to remember that they aren’t in traffic; they are traffic. Many journeys around and between Farnham, Hale, and Wrecclesham could be made on foot or by bike. If people who could avoid driving did so, traffic would be much lighter for people with fewer choices, e.g., those with mobility issues.

The combination of these delays is causing traffic to back up in and around Farnham, creating a morning of chaos.

Frustration is growing among locals, who criticise Surrey County Council on social media for approving the Infrastructure Project.

 Delays occur at the Shepard and Flock Roundabout on the A31, where traffic is down to one lane due to Thames Water carrying out emergency sewage repairs.

A spokesperson for Thames Water said, “ We’re sorry if you’re affected by emergency sewer repairs on the Shepherd & Flock roundabout.

We will be setting up tankers to manage the sewer’s flow, ensuring there is no flooding to your home and the environment. The public footpath where we work will be closed, and diversions will be in place. We apologise for any disruption or increased noise this could cause.

Traffic at Shepherd and Flock roundabout

Traffic at Shepherd and Flock roundabout

However, sewage water is flowing down the path at Shepherd & Flock Roundabout towards Guildford Road in front of Bourne Mill Antiques Centre, and the smell is making life even more miserable for those trying to get onto the congested roundabout.

Congestion at the Shepherd & Flock is causing more disruption to the A31 towards Guildford and the A31 on the Farnham Bypass.

Sewage Water building on pathway connecting Guildford Road and the Shepherd and Flock Roundabout

Sewage Water building on pathway connecting Guildford Road and the Shepherd and Flock Roundabout (Marcus McQuilton)

Cranleigh’s new energy-efficient leisure centre gets the go ahead,

 

Cranleigh’s long-awaited dream of a new modern Leisure Centre is a step closer with the UNANIMOUS  support of Waverley Planners.

The committee said a new energy-efficient building was long overdue to replace its dilapidated existing facilities, which were recently closed to swimmers for vital and costly building repairs. 

Members of the council’s planning committee were reminded that the Cranleigh Leisure Centre was, and always had been, a Community Swimming pool and not, as some had suggested, a Competition Pool. 

The new centre would be built on the Village Way car park on a new site to ensure business as usual in the old building, which will ultimately be demolished. There would be some disruption to parking in the short term, but this could be overcome if a former site in Knowle Lane – once owned by Cranleigh Parish Council and sold to a third party—could be used for temporary interim parking.

Following an agreement with its operators, the much-valued Thursday Market will be temporarily relocated to the Stocklund Square Car Park.

While the exciting project cost is around £40m, nearby homes in Charts Close and Little Manor Gardens expressed concerns about possible noise and disturbance. These homes are adjacent to the car park and site boundary. However, officers assured that every effort will be made to minimise adverse effects. 

While supporting the scheme, which replaces a swimming pool built by villagers’ fundraising efforts 50 years ago, Cllr Jane Austin was concerned at the lack of spectator seating, which she claimed was vital for School and Swimming Club galas. However, members heard this was an “operational matter” and not a planning consideration. But this could be overcome in the future.

Cllr Carole Cochburn didn’t like the design, saying it was too modern and wouldn’t suit everyone. However, it was pointed out that Victorian-type buildings cannot house swimming pools and leisure facilities.

There will be no squash courts or saunas in the new building, but other facilities will be introduced.

A  Cranleigh resident, Mr Reading, was vociferous in his objection to the scheme in principle. He said it would do nothing to enhance Cranleigh. He predicted it would cause increased traffic, transport, and parking difficulties, affect the amenities of Little Manor Gardens, and result in the loss of other recreational facilities such as the skate park. He argued the design was both “bland and an ugly modernistic building,” unlike Cranleigh’s characterful 100-year-old village hall in the Surrey style.

The building will comprise wet and dry areas and communal/private work areas with the following facilities:

Wet Areas

616 m2 for the main swimming pool and 55-seater spectator area (with two disabled bays).

309 m2 for learner pool

381m2 for changing facilities / WCs

35m2 for pool storage

12m2 for first aid area

Dry Areas

570m2 Fitness suite with 110 stations (first floor)

205m2 for changing areas (male, female and assisted changing area) (first floor)

250m2 for Studio 1 and store (ground-floor)

147m2 for Studio 2 and store (first-floor)

98m2 for Heath Studio (ground floor)

80m2 for Spin Studio with 30 stations (first floor)

Other Areas

226m2 for café, kitchen and WCs with 50 covers/reception area

148 m2 for soft play area

54m2 for admin and managers’ office

40m2 for staff room

15m2 for chemical stores

23m2 for 3x cleaners storage rooms across the building

28m2 for two ancillary staff rooms

These spaces do not include the main lift/stairwell, with two further escape stairwells,

circulation space/corridors and plant space on the first and basement floors. Flat roof

PV solar panels will cover areas.

The proposal also includes changes to parking arrangements/landscaping and the removal of the skate park. The existing tennis courts will be used as a temporary work compound whilst construction works are ongoing

Recommendation unanimously approved

That delegated authority is granted to the Assistant Director of Planning to grant planning permission, subject to conditions and completion of a Unilateral Undertaking between the County Council and the applicant to secure a financial contribution for improvements to the walking and cycling route between the site and the Downs Link Bridleway, that REG 3 PERMISSION IS GRANTED

One councillor said that Cranleigh’s new leisure centre will not suit everyone.

What do you think?

A Ewhurst green field saved by a Government Inspector… again!

An appeal has been dismissed following an avalanche of local opposition to a scheme that could have signalled the end of The Sayers Croft Rural Centre.

Waverley Planning officers recommended last year that a scheme for five self-build homes near the famous Sayers Croft Rural Centre in Ewhurst be approved, but councillors turned it down.

However, as the WW predicted, the determined owners of Sunnybrook on Ewhurst’s Cranleigh Road have tried, tried, and tried again and would not be deterred from building on the site pictured below. 

One green field in Ewhurst was saved once again from development.

Government inspectors have dismissed the latest appeal and refused five self-build properties, which Alfold’s Cllr Kevin Deanus described as…

“Mansions”

Below is Waverley’s decision in June 2024.

Waverley Planners throw out a Ewhurst housing scheme

WA/2024/00268 (3347221) linked to WA/2023/01924

Considering the main issue, the inspector considered whether or not the site would be suitable for the proposed development, having regard to the development plan’s spatial strategy for the supply of housing and the character and appearance of the area; and the effect of the proposed developments on the setting of the Grade II listed building ‘Combined Dining Hall and Kitchen at Sayers Croft’ (the Dining Hall).

The Inspector’s Conclusion:

 The site would be suitable for the proposed developments, given the housing supply and the area’s character and appearance.

However, the scheme would considerably diminish the verdant character and openness of the area around the Sayers Croft Dining Hall, bringing the urban form of Ewhurst further into the Dining Hall’s remaining undeveloped setting.

He said the harm to the significance of the Dining Hall would be less than substantial. The scheme’s public benefits must be weighed against this, and there is a strong presumption against allowing development that would be harmful to the setting of a Listed Building.

The benefits of self-build would be limited to the first occupier, whilst the harm would be permanent to the setting of the listed building. The small windfall site would make a valuable contribution to the housing supply, but as outline permission with individual lots, there is little guarantee that the plots would be built out quickly.

Given the harm that would arise to the setting of the Dining Hall, the proposed developments would conflict with the development plan when read as a whole.

Appeal Dismissed 

He dismissed the appeal – despite recognising that the council couldn’t demonstrate a five-year housing supply- because of the clear reason that harm would be caused to the nearby Sayers Croft Rural Centre’s Dining Hall.

The Planning Framework, which protects assets of particular importance, provides a clear reason for refusing the development. In this case, the harm to the significance of the Dining Hall does that in respect to both appeals.

More rough sleepers in Waverley

More people in Waverley are sleeping rough as numbers across England hit a high post-pandemic level.

Recently published results revealed that six people were sleeping rough in Waverley, more than the year before, when there were three rough sleepers.

This was also higher than in 2021 when the Government’s Everyone In programme was implemented, when there was just one.

Nationally, the number of people estimated to be sleeping rough rose by 20% last year to 4,667.

This is the second-highest level on record and almost twice the total in 2021.

The Government’s ‘Everyone In’ campaign aimed to eliminate homelessness and provided thousands of people with accommodation during the coronavirus pandemic.

But numbers across England have soared following the pandemic, rising for the third successive year, a situation branded “unacceptable” by homelessness charities.

Each year, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government conducts a national snapshot survey of rough sleeping on a specific night in autumn.

The count includes people sleeping outside but does not cover sofa surfers, those in hostels or shelters, or people in recreational or traveller sites, and the figures are generally considered to be an undercount of the actual number.

Matt Downie, chief executive of homelessness charity Crisis, said the figures “paint a desperate picture”, with thousands “at significant risk of violence, extreme weather and even premature death”.

“It’s an emergency, and it must spur action,” he said.

“The Westminster Government has a once in a generation opportunity to deliver transformative change through its upcoming strategy to end homelessness.”

“If the Government is serious about tackling the housing emergency, we must see ambitious investment in social housing in June’s Spending Review.

“Investing in 90,000 social rent homes a year for 10 years would give families a fighting chance and end homelessness for good.”

Minister for Homelessness Rushanara Ali said the figures show the “devastating impact” of the housing crisis the Government inherited.

She added: “We’re taking determined action to turn the tide, and that’s why this week, this Government stepped in to double our emergency homelessness funding to £60 million as an immediate support for councils to keep people in their homes.

“This comes alongside the £1 billion we have already committed this year to tackle the root causes of homelessness, including the largest ever investment in preventative services, so we can put in place long-lasting solutions, not just sticking plasters, to end this crisis.”

Waverley’s Infrastructure Delivery Plan

Scary or what!!!

So who exactly is our borough and county councils depending on to provide much future infrastructure?

 

Yes, you guessed it! Trinity College Cambridge is on the tailwings of its  Dunsfold airfield site, which has been “Mothballed!”

Is Dunsfold Garden Village Done For?

Infrastructure delivery plan

Here at the Waverley Web, we thought this document deserved some airing. It reveals the failure of the current system to deliver vital and much needed infrastructure ahead of and to support new development,

Alfold is a prime example.

It’s well worth searching by localities.  So we spotlighted the eastern villages where so much development has been earmarked,  including Cranleigh and Alfold.
 As for Dunsfold, what can we say? The borough’s reliance on development at Dunsfold Airfield, the largest brownfield site in the borough, is frightening.
A site with consent for 1,800 homes and many more in the Local Plan, that the owners of Trinity College Cambridge announced was “mothballing” for the foreseeable future.

This leaves Waverley’s five-year housing supply in tatters.

So, where has the infrastructure listed in clips from the plan below been provided?

Could you take a look at the complete Infrastructure Plan yourself? If you can bear it!
Talk about complacency or uselessness would be more accurate. Never mind all the quotes and waffle from the current local plan. This and its predecessors, presumably knocking around since the current local plan was adopted in 2018, have delivered sweet FA, at least at the Waverley and county level in most areas.
The only organisations that have delivered anything are Cranleigh, which has a modernised village hall, and the parish of Witley, which has delivered play areas!
3.6 is particularly worrying. This document will remain in place until the next local plan is adopted—this year, next year, or sometime, perhaps, by a new Unitary Authority.
When is that? Never mind that this is a ‘living document, ’ which WW thought meant that things were meant to be kept up to date!
How about this as an example of a lack of infrastructure? The village where they are champion Stool Ball Players!