One could be forgiven for thinking that Gavin Barwell MP, the former Minister for Housing, wanted to build houses. Indeed, his rhetoric on the subject, prior to the recent election, was compelling.

Speaking at the MIPIM, an International property conference hosted in Cannes, Mr Barwell  told developers…

“If you’ve got parts of the country where you want to build homes and you’re struggling to find land, you come and see me and I will then raise those issues with the relevant local authorities.”

And if anyone had any doubts about his sincerity he went on to say,

“That’s an offer to anyone in this room – if you’re struggling to find sites you [can] come talk to me and I’ll try and do something about it.”

He went on to ram the message home by saying he wanted to be,

“clear and unequivocal” he was there to help them build the hundreds of thousands of new homes to help fix to help fix the UK’s housing crisis!

Hundreds of thousands of homes? Bring it on! He really couldn’t be any clearer could he? Oh yes he could, for he then said…

The government was committed to building more homes releasing enough land for around 160,000 new properties.

And then, to be absolutely sure he left his audience in no doubt whatsoever, Barwell said he wanted to “change the politics” of house building so local people did not automatically protest at the suggestion of new build. He went on to warn of “hard discussions” with local politicians who held up development.

Oh yeah? If that was really the case why did he then roll over and stick his buttocks in the air when fellow Tory MP, Matron Milton, went crying to him about a major brownfield development on her patch that had just been granted consent by the Local Authority? Did he hand her a hanky and tell her to buck up? Did he remind her that he was on record that he would have “hard discussions” with local politicians, like the Deputy Dominatrix, who tried to hold up development? Did he hell! No! He smiled sweetly and presumably said something along the lines of ‘Yes, of course, Annie. Anything you want, Annie. How high shall I jump, Anne?’ And promptly called in the consented application to build 1800 much needed homes on Dunsfold Aerodrome.

So much for his much for his ‘clear and unequivocal’ claim that ‘the government was committed to building more homes …’ Just not in the backyards of the Tory faithful!!!

Now Barwell, who lost his Croydon Central seat in the election – and is blaming it all on austerity and Brexit – has been given a consolation prize – although some might consider it a poisoned chalice! He has the ear of our erstwhile PM, having just become her new Chief of Staff. No doubt the Deputy Dominatrix will be all over him like a rash in his new role, demanding he begs Mrs May to stamp her size six Russell & Bromleys all over plans to build at Dunsfold Airfield.

Whip-crack-away … whip-crack-away … whip-crack-away …

Mr Barwell may well be wishing himself anywhere but in No 10 by the time the Deputy Dom has finished nagging him black and blue!

or on the other hand – if the PM hear’s  her quote following her re-election…you can read it here in The Guildford Dragon… maybe not! 

 Some at ‘Your Waverley” would like to  delegate more planning powers to the…. people… who were elected? Oh No! This is Wunderland remember…

 Don’t be silly,  to the planning officers, who need to step the development process  up a gear!

As of NOW – decisions for  developments of up to 25 homes will be left in the capable hands of ‘Your Waverley’s’ planning honchos –  Liz the Biz – the head honcho – who will have to scrape the smile off her face when she takes off her make-up   at night?

Oh bejoyfulness! – no more listening to those pesky councillors winding on about…

• Highway, sewage, and infrastructure issues.
• Listening to elected representatives telling her … what fits in with their Design Statements…
• The character of their neighbourhoods? Or the height and scale of properties.
• Green fields… countryside… in future they are only building plots, and if it’s green and  doesn’t move then it’s fair game.
• And… as for ancient woodland… we can always impose conditions – like the Grampian one we drafted incorrectly to ensure sewage treatment capacity was improved before homes were occupied … to ensure developers plant shiny new trees when the old ones  are chopped !

This is what one Cranleigh councillor thinks of the move to remove the need for LOCAL  checks and balances. 

Councillor Patricia Ellis  who believes  Cranleigh residents may believe she is set to become – “an expensive irrelevance” – perish the thought!

and Councillor Jerry Hyman (Farnham) – Robert Knowles (Haslemere,) and John Gray (Dunsfold) agree with her. Councillor Hyman – (Farnham Residents) is featured here:

But Solicitor, (Sleepy) Councillor Michael Goodridge Chairman of the Standards Board assured them all there’s nothing for them to worry their little heads about… they can always call applications in for consideration by the planning committee’s … if they are wide awake enough. No problem there then  Sleeping Beauty?

But you know – regardless of what Farnham people think – SCC and WBC, have and will continue to ‘invest’ £30m of county ratepayers money in a duff scheme – and millions of pounds of the borough’s money ….WHY?  Because they do not have the humility to realise – that after almost 16 years… they are, quite simply, WRONG!

They know it – we know it – and so does Chris Meade of Rowledge  know it – read his recent letter in the Farnham Herald about Blightwells that has now seen the back of three Waverley Chief Executives, or is it four?

A Buy-to-le bust, lower incomes, Brexit,  homeowners failing interest rate stress tests and now – a Hung Parliament –

could it mean that the housing bubble is about to burst?

We have heard from our readers that a number of newly built properties – two of which overlook Cranleigh Cricket Common, have been put up for rent after  failing  to find buyers. 

This is also evident  in Farnham, Godalming and many of the other towns and villages in Waverley. All of whom are experiencing unprecedented levels of new builds. Many thousands of homeowners cannot find buyers because their properties are blighted by planning applications, either pending or consented.

Just as developers are poised to build many thousands more homes in the borough of Waverley the ‘For Sale’ signs are already going up from those eager to move away from areas they considered rural, and which are gradually becoming more surburban.

Buy- to- let landlord are starting to move away from the  sector due to the changes in tax advantages being removed, and hard-pressed young people are finding it increasingly difficult to obtain mortgages.

Properties for sale in the  residential areas close to  local schools are failing to find buyers due to the congestion from parked cars during school collection times.  Prospective purchasers are fearful that the congestion  in the residential roads around schools will only get worse if there  is a further  influx of young families when thousands of new homes are built.

Some councils are using Public Spaces Protection Order powers – introduced by the last Government – to control parking by school run parents. The PSPO legislation was designed make it easier for councils to outlaw anti-social activities, including parking.

CCTV cameras have been introduced near schools elsewhere in the country and dropping off and collecting children is banned between 8am and 9.30.a.m. and 2.30 p.m. and 4 p.m.

The orders are also being enforced by police, traffic wardens and police community support officers.

Recently a Waverley Web reader contacted us at contact@waverleyweb.org saying  traffic wardens were now in evidence outside schools in Waverley. As a result,  parents were parking  in residential areas even further away from schools, which  is believed to be pushing the radius of areas affected by school traffic  even wider, thus affecting even more properties.

The epigrams  of the editor of Le Figaro – Alphonse Karr, certainly ring true to-day in the rough of Waverley – which encompasses the electoral districts of South West Surrey and the constituency of Guildford.

Let’s face it, there’s more chance of Nelson getting his eye back than the  likelihood of anything changing around here!  Unless of course it is the local elections – viva la change in Godalming and Farnham!

Just more of the same:  MP Jeremy Hunt – grinning from ear to ear after notching up 33,683 votes (a fall of 4.1% – 2015) despite the fact that he was standing against a very creditable candidate Dr Louise Irvine – for the National Health Action Party   who managed a very healthy –  12,093 votes. JH secured the seat he has held since 2005,  despite the difficulties  that the areas that, both he and his neighbouring colleague Anne Milton, face due to changes in the way healthcare will be delivered in future!

Matron Milton clocked up 30,295  votes – down by 2.5% on 2015, from  her nearest rival Zoe Franklin (Lib Dem) 13,255.  Despite the fact that her decision to call in a major plan to build  in the borough’s largest brown field site at Dunsfold, has, and will continue to have, the effect of either bringing down Waverley’s Local Plan and … an avalanche of  consents, and applications to build  over large parts of the countryside and possibly even protected areas of Waverley including the Green Belt!

Her whip has stood her in good stead in persuading the – former – Secretary of State to call for a ‘very expensive’ public inquiry next month.

Mind you it will be whip, crack away,  if she continues her old job as deputy chief whip  with a hung parliament at Westminster.

NOW…we wait with bated breath to see whether our Annie flushed with her own success, in the wake of the Dunsfold call-in, decides to throw her  (whip) into the ring and launch a bid for the Tory Party leadership? . Oops she may have to be quick wit that whip to get in before our Jeremy?

Residents living around Stovolds Hill nearly choked on their Weetabix when they read Part 11 of Waverley’s Daft Local Plan, which gets dafter with every passing day …

The phone lines went into meltdown as they rang, e-mailed and knocked on the door of Alfold’s very own councillor Kevin De’Anus, who has been far too busy objecting to development on that great-big brownfield site, to concern himself with the greenfields around Dunsfold Airfield. Many of which are now under threat …

… not from the settled Gipsy community – but travellers who are buying up land faster than developers!

Councillor Penis – as Alfold residents have taken to calling him because he’s such a dick-head – gave a host of reasons why the site for travelling showmen, pictured below (which was the subject of numerous applications, and appeals, and then an Article Four direction. This prevents anyone living on the agricultural land now or in the forseeable future,) should not have even seen the light of day but is now  in a document due to go out to public consultation shortly!

and he didn’t know anything about its inclusion in the Plan-and he’s on the EXECUTIVE!

But, as Planning officer Graham-Sick-as-a-Parrot explained to the Council’s Executive, the consultation will give the locals an,  “opportunity to comment on the – Options and Solutions,” in the Daft Plan.

Comment!!! Comment – who is  he trying to kid??? The British Airways meltdown will have nothing on the Armageddon facing Your Waverley’s internet when this gets out.

Officers have even been contacted by the Lydia Park gipsy community, who are even more concerned than the worried-well-to-do, because in recent months almost 100 acres of land around Alfold has been bought up by Irish Travellers eager to satisfy ‘Your Waverley’s’ widely expressed need to find sites for the gipsy and traveller community! Talk about biter, bit! Even the gipsies don’t want their settlement to get any bigger!

“If we aren’t very careful – we are going to end up with another Dale Farm – and then we will get out! He said the gipsy community set up in Stovolds Hill over 20 years ago had, made huge strides to integrate into the community. Children attended  local schools, many had successful businesses, and contributed to the local economy. The existing concentration was as much as the area could take. 

Dale Farm. 

WW asks why would Polly Parrot,  even consider including a site in the  countryside close to an existing  large gipsy community?

May be ‘Your Waverley’ could solve everyone’s problems. – A suggestion which has been made to the Waverley Web many, many times since it was founded a year ago – “perhaps they could house them all on one great big site – all 635 acres of it at … yes, you guessed it, at Dunsfold Park… Lydia Park… has a certain ring to it! Ding-a-ling!

Meanwhile, Councillor Penis (formerly the *iss Artist known as De’Anus), might want to consider investing in a new Kookaburra Kahuna (AKA a ‘Cricket Box’) as word on the village green is that there’s a lot of people who would like to express their disapproval of his interpretation of the seven Ps – AKA *iss Poor Performance on his Part has led to *iss Poor Planning for Alfold!

There are many hundreds of homes planned in and around Alfold/Loxwood. 

Alfold- has no  school,  few services, sewers or infrastructure … a   huge flooding problem and poo regularly pops up in their gardens!

Says Very, very Angry of Alfold: 

Now there’s a good idea? Why don’t we all post our poo to ‘Your Waverley” marked For the Attention of the Chief Planning Officer and her assistant Polly Parrot?

Who would have thought the Waverley Councillors would have time to pop up on Dr Louise’s Facebook trolling all the comments this week? Clearly rattled was the Elstead troll Jenny Else:

Just one of the screenshots of the trolling comments enclosed on Louise’s Facebook, after a rather heated hustings in Farnham.

Are the TT’s getting worried? Must be because of this sign found to-day in Godalming! 

Health Warning: Not suitable for children or people of a nervous disposition.

P.S don’t be put off by the ‘Your Waverley’ Picture – this is what she looks like before she has been air brushed! More like  vacuumed! WWethinks! 

Still .. Aunty Elsey does have a very broad brush of all the local political issues … just listen to her spouting rubbish at ‘Your Waverley.’ Particularly when she is speaking of Surreys Dormitory Dependables! Commuter land Culturebuffs  Do we have a Cultural Strategy or do we have 230 pages weighing over – 600 grams – of expensive tripe?

Here’s the post we wrote this morning.

Read the Press Release. Just posted.

Has a new replacement already been found to jump into the CEO’s hot seat in  the Wunderland that is Your  Waverley?

Remember – you heard it here first!

A day or two ago we put two and two together, believing we may have made five! In fact our maths was spot on – should have gone to… Bet Fred!

Is Wen-am-I leaving – about to… yes… leave?

We didn’t suggest you nipped down to Bet Fred, just in case the reason for AN EXTRAORDINARY MEETING  of ‘Your Waverley’ behind closed doors, was not to announce the imminent departure of Paul Wenham yet another Chief Executive ,  who needs time to develop their career,spend more time with their family, or retire?

But spot the face – if you can – because the Webcast swung around the Council Chamber all night, chopping off everyone’s heads – no pun intended – even focused on cars in Godalming High Street, and blank brick walls?  Mind you – ask Councillor Jerry – there are lots of those brick walls at ‘Your Waverley.’ He who dares to question,  comes up against them all the time!

And then – the doors were slammed – so we all await a Press Release!

Well, sitting next to the Mayor,  is non other than Damien Roberts, or ‘The smiling Assassin’ as he is more widely known – who has been slowly clambering up the greasy pole on his way into the top job ever since he arrived in Wunderland. Anyone spotted the 666’s.

Change of Culture? Never – just more of the same old, same old – daggers at dawn

Here’s a more flattering picture of The Omen that we used – after he killed off Age Concern Waverley – decimated the Meals on Wheels Service, and practically demolished the voluntary sector in his previous role in Croydon Council before being made redundant and…

left trousering £50,000. Ah! well – it’s all in a day’s work!

Paul Wenham says he is passing on the baton – let’s hope for all our sakes it doesn’t get picked up By Waverley’s very own – OMEN?

Said the Croydon Council’s Union Leader at the time:

Q.

Who got out of the wrong side of the bed before popping down to ‘Your Waverley’ to chair the Joint Planning Committee?

A.

Carole Cochburn  – The member for Farnham Bourne.

From the moment she called members to order – and Councillor John Ward (Con Shortheath & Blundstone) … dared to say  he couldn’t  approve the minutes as they had  – not been available for him to read before the meeting – so wasn’t prepared to sign them as a true record!

So… it did not auger week that Cranleigh councillors Liz Townsend and Patricia Ellis had been substituted for two  other Joint Planning Committee members – to consider the reserved matters for Phase 1 of the Berkeley Bunnies scheme in Knowle Lane.

Officers warned the committee that the principle of development for 426 homes had already been established and the Reserved Matters before them  were the landscaping and details of  Phase  1  of the scheme for (55 executive homes.) In other words – just get on and approve it – regardless!

As one member followed another and slated the scheme – saying it was:

• Would do nothing to enhance Cranleigh!
• Building described as two and a half storey – were in fact three.
• There was inadequate parking.
• Million pound homes would back onto Sainsbury’s Loading bay.
• The design was mediocre and totally unsuitable for a rural location.
• The developers’ original idea for a gated development was – out of character – and would be more ‘Weybridge than Waverley.’

When officers explained that a Government Inspector at appeal had granted permission for five storey houses in that location, there were gasps of incredulity among members – except of course our Farnham councillor who is happy to stuff Cranleigh regardless of size or suitability.

The more opposition the scheme received, the more angry Cllr Cockburn became, almost snarling at her colleagues as they dared to overrule the officers’ advice.

One said the estate was similar to the Evesham Estate in Fleet, and something you would see on a Reality Show on TV.

Cranleigh Councillors, claimed they knew “nothing” of the 106 Agreement signed up with the Developers for £3m which included £173,000 towards an all -weather football pitch for – would you Adam and Eve it…             .

and which, it is suggested by officers   Cranleigh people will have to pay to use!

Said Councillor Mary Foryszewski: Cranleigh School is a private School with superb sporting facilities – Park Mead School is a local school which is looking for just £25,000 to improve its facilities, why are we supporting private schools?

Angry Cranleigh Councillors asked WHY? they had not been consulted, before legal agreements had been reached with developers, and WHY? were officers recommending approval of a scheme that so so out of keeping with Cranleigh, and ignored the Cranleigh Design Statement? 

Some councillors believed the  detailed scheme for all 425 homes, should have been presented to them for consideration together, and they asked why there was no roundabout in Knowle Lane which was proposed in the original application? Saying if, a scheme for a private nursing home was agreed immediately opposite the Berkeleys site this would signal traffic chaos!

Here’s what a Cranleigh parish councillor Brian Freeston had to say:

Are we at the WW putting two and two together and making Five? If so… we will wait to put up the Hallelujah chorus on his behalf when the announcement is made shortly.

It is no secret in the sweltering attic offices and the over-heated corridors of Waverley Towers that Paul Wenham – the CEO – all but in name for legal reasons –  cannot wait to drag himself  out of the stinking bog that is ‘Your Waverley.’

Which, is of course why we Webbers gave him the title ‘Wen – am -I -Leaving’ please make it soon… please… please… but preferably with a good package … and an  enhanced pension pot  – well! Mrs MOP got £250,00 and the previous CEO the same so , why shouldn’t I’?

And… I would rather like to get out before decisions are made on all those nasty public inquiry’s take place and decisions are made…  because it might get even hotter around here?

His friends and council colleagues have been speculating for months that the Oh So Sad Looking – Mr Wenham was making plans for the great Waverley get-away.

Will he get time off for good behaviour? – We fear not!

Former CEO Mary Orton Pett, or Mrs Mop as she was known here on our scurrilous blog,  left suddenly in October 2013 to –  “spend more time developing her career.”

Why might, he be leaving? Maybe the answer, as they say in the farming world – lies in the soil?  Is the milk about to go sour in POW’s Brown Cow? Or, it could be East Street – of the great the big hole in the Daft Local Plan…or… the Council’s recent Strategic Review, which uncovered some uncomfortable truths about officers not getting along with some councillors?

Ah well just in case we are right here’s the job spec and salary package as of 2016.

 If we’re right he can buy us a   coffee from  the Borough Council’s new £7,000 vending machine?

“Your Waverley” will hear at its Extraordinary Meeting (tomorrow)  June 6.

Whose waiting in the Wings?

Don’t be silly… THE OMEN, or the Silent Assassin as he is known by his colleagues  –   of course!