Tag: Cranleigh

Is the Cranleigh Society shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted?

Here’s the latest message from Cranleigh’s ‘former rather weary watchdog’ that suddenly appears to have a new lease of life. But, as Cranleigh sits on the cusp of becoming Waverley’s fourth town, is it now too late to save its rural character?

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The Committee of Cranleigh Civic Society announced this week that it has been strengthened and energised to fight the growing avalanche of proposed housing.

In the wake of the adoption of ‘Your Waverley’s’ Local Plan, far be it for us at the Waverley Web to want to pee on anyone’s fireworks, but isn’t it all over bar a lot of shouting? 41 councillors voted for – one was against – and three councillors abstained! All Cranleigh members voted for the plan, which will undoubtedly lead to yet more housing in Cranleigh. But then, why wouldn’t they?

Most of them were taking part in secret meetings with developers and planning officers long before the ink was even dry on the Daft Local Plan to determine just where thousands of new homes on the countryside would go!  And, as one Cranleigh councillor, the late Brian Ellis, stated at the time – Cranleigh shops need more footfall!’  Now those same councillors actually believe an adopted local plan will minimise the harm! Do they? Do they really? Whilst most of them were busy opposing development at Dunsfold Aerodrome, believing Cranleigh should become a New Town, they were also busy meeting with developers, even in their own homes, planning Cranleigh’s demise. They should be careful what they wish for – soon they may get the worst of both worlds! 

The new man heading the CCS, Terry Stewart, was Chair, then President, of Dorset CPRE (Campaign to Protect Rural England) for eight years. Whilst there he was faced with the threat of housing developments throughout the Poole and Bournemouth Green Belt so lead a team of six villages and communities to defeat the proposals. This included MPs speaking to a demonstration outside Parliament and a procession to Downing Street to present a petition to the Prime Minister (see photo). The proposals were defeated – as were plans for a new village at Lytchett Minster. (See photos below).

Westminster Palace
Westminster Palace
Downing Street
Downing Street

It says experience shows that attacks on the Green Belt and unprotected beautiful countryside can only be defeated if there is a strong, professional team leading an active, widespread community with clear objectives. So the new Civic Society Team includes a retired Solicitor, two experts on building and infrastructure, an insurance expert and environmental and wildlife specialists – meeting on a fortnightly basis or more often if needed.

The society understand that villagers may believe that, whatever they feel, the Council and Government will do whatever they want to do, but the successes referred to above demonstrate that these battles CAN be won! Apathy only plays into their hands – do you really want this to happen?

It claims, ‘CRANLEIGH IS UNDER AN INCREASING THREAT FROM DEVELOPERS – changing your quality of life and the Cranleigh we know and love.’ Since 2014, Waverley Borough Council has approved the building of over 1,300 houses in Cranleigh. Think for a moment the huge impact this will have on the A281, our B-roads and country lanes, our already overloaded and inadequate sewage treatment works and the crumbling infrastructure – and the increased flooding risk. Also, please remember that we are the only main settlement in Waverley without a railway station.

Despite all this, more and more new planning applications are regularly being received.

Just a few days ago we heard that Dunsfold Park is virtually assured of being given approval for 2,600 new houses – and that is just the beginning! Just think of all those extra cars entering and using the A281.

We have heard credible accounts of a developer acquiring “options to buy” large tracts of land down Knowle Lane – is the idea for Cranleigh and Dunsfold to merge? Are we to become another Crawley?

Or does the Waverley Web dare to suggest … Crandun-for!

Cranleigh Civic Society needs YOUR support so please visit our website – www.cranleighsociety.org – Facebook and Twitter links and join our membership. We are working hard on YOUR behalf to protect our very special village, its environment, and wildlife.

Tell us what you want, what you really really want Cranleigh?

Frank talking on behalf of the people of Cranleigh as more bulldozers head towards Waverley’s NEW TOWN.

As if these developers give a tuppeny duck what the residents of Cranleigh want –  what they really, really want!

Because from what we hear over here in Farnham, Cranleigh people really, want is some peace and respite from HGV’s thundering through their once peaceful village, and the unrelenting onward march of developers through their streets. Who are they providing homes for? The locals? No homes to satisfy the housing needs of the Woking Wimbledon and Wandsworth Wanderers!

As for the low-cost homes, for village people?

We here at the WW are totally discombobulated!

Low cost for whom exactly? No doubt the very same Cranleigh people that moved into Sirus Place in Parsonage Road, most of whom are from outside the new town! Pull the other one – it’s got cement on it! Three four and five-bed low-cost homes!

And… where did the village benefactor Lettuce and his friend Leafy (aka Vrijland and Leahy) Go? Well you know where don’t you Cranleigh residents? Laughing all the way to the nearest bank! Well, that is if there’s one open?

We notice that now the West Cranleigh Nurseries 265-home development in Elmbridge/Alfold Road has been re-named – Knowle Park. No doubt that sounds slightly more grand than mentioning that it is adjacent to a Poo Factory and to floodplains? No doubt those flooded plains will be a little further away now Lettuce and Leafy have illegally dredged the Cranleigh Waters, affected flooding further downstream, and got clean away with it?

No surprise there then for the Tory Party donors!

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Sorry, Ms. Faithfull. The days you and Mr. Swinnerton cherished have long gone.

 

Berkeley Bunnies – when you are in hole – stop digging?

‘More Barratt’s than Berkeley’s’  was how Waverley councillors described the detailed design for the first phase of 55 executive homes on part of Cranleigh’s once green and pleasant land. So they refused its application and told the national house builder, with a reputation for providing quality homes, to go ‘back to the drawing board.’

Despite the planning ‘experts’ at ‘Your Waverley’ supporting the design of the scheme, councillors from around the borough backed the locals who   claimed the development would do ‘nothing’ to enhance the character of Cranleigh – as the design and layout was ‘mediocre’ and ‘unimaginative’ and the  two-three storey sentinel blocks (which the developer had wanted to be gated,) facing onto a rural lane, was out of character – and more suited to Walton and Weybridge.

This was to have been the first phase of 425 homes to be built on land behind Stocklund Square with access off Knowle Lane. Granted by a Government Inspector following  an appeal.

Despite all their shoving, cajoling,  pushing and prodding, the ‘experts’ were unable to lead councillors by the nose  – and the scheme was rejected. Weeks earlier Berkeleys was also told it couldn’t take down ancient woodland – despite Liz The Biz Simms, ‘YW’ head honcho explaining a while back it could always be, re-planted. Ugh!

We, and probably you, would like to know –

Who is actually running the planning function at ‘YW’ – is it Gone to Potts? The Executive? The Planning Officers? Or is it the democratically elected members?

Because if it’s all the former, then why is taxpayers money being wasted on all those allowances , special responsibility payments, travelling expenses and pensions that 58 councillors are paid, when they could be done away with? 

From now on officers can grant up to 25 dwellings without reference to the planning committees! 

So now, a company that once hoped to be accepted in Cranleigh New Town, has upset the locals and instead of listening to all the cogent and reasonable arguments from the locals, and doing a small re-design, they are spending lots of dosh on lawyers and QC’s just to spite the taxpayer by appealing…. 

AGAIN!

Remember! The company has already done this once. The original application or 425 homes was refused by ‘YW’ – not its officers of course,  and allowed at appeal. The Inspector, at that time, allowed five storey homes on the site!!!  Less like Cranleigh more like Canary Wharf!

Why – have they decided to Appeal! Quite simply….Because they can!

It just shows how much profit they make that they can afford to do this on a matter of pique. I suppose as their CEO awarded himself a bonus of £23 million last year and only contributes a small sum of £3 million towards infrastructure he can afford to do it.
Of course if you look at it from his point of view, Berkeleys were led to believe by the WBC planners that all would be well and it would be plain sailing through the planning process, so you can imagine his frustration.  
The design was challenged on two main points – the 5 houses fronting Knowle Lane (a rural lane) were effectively 3 stories high, and not in keeping with Cranleigh whose vast majority of houses are only 2 stories high. Secondly the design was trying to make it look like a gated community. But as one councillor – Brian Freestone, told the Joint Planning Committee, ‘we welcome the new residents into Cranleigh, but how can we do that if they feel elite and cut off from us? This argument and others won the day.
If Berkeleys had engaged with Cranleigh Parish Council, in open forum rather than behind closed doors with ‘YW, all this could probably have been avoided.
Berkeley’s attempt to throw its  toys out of the pram is a flagrant waste of money and will not be approved by its shareholders. Even more damaging is the cost to cash-strapped WBC and therefore us the taxpayer.

What’s the magic number today Waverley Planners?

The number is 54! Yes 54 new houses headed for Elmbridge Road in Cranleigh. The decision will be made tonight (Wed 28th June; 6.30pm) at Waverley’s Joint Planning Committee. We urge you to attend and make your voice heard!

Cranleigh Waters flood warningN.B. The Met Office has just issued a Flood Warning for Cranleigh Waters: “For Cranleigh Waters, the areas affected include Elmbridge, Shamley Green and Bramley and the Littlemead Brook including Cranleigh.”
The map below shows the area between Elmbridge at the top and the blue Littlemead Brook stream at the bottom which is.. subject to tonight’s Planning Application (Planning Ref : WA/2016/1921) recommended for Approval by Officers for 54 homes.

Our friends at the Cranleigh Society say: “This entire site was underwater in Dec 2013/Jan 2014 – the road, which was higher than the site, was impassable. In January 2015 about 30%  of the site was flooded. And then there’s the smell from the sewage works..” Thakeham Homes have stated that “odour is not considered to be a constraint to residential development at the site”.

 

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Those three little blue SUD’s will be working overtime!

We agree with the Cranleigh Society – write to Anne Milton, Cranleigh’s MP and ask her to ‘call in’ this outrageous application. Email her on anne.milton.mp@parliament.uk with reference WA/2016/1921 Land South Of Elmbridge Road, Cranleigh – perhaps notice will be taken if lots of people request it!

Perhaps that Vote of NO CONFIDENCE fell on deaf ears?

NO CHANGE THERE THEN!

This is a letter sent out to supporters of The Cranleigh Civic Society – from the people…screen-shot-2016-05-03-at-14-22-39

Dear Members and Friends

As you are aware, Cranleigh Civic Society held a meeting in the Village Hall on 25th May to discuss the planning permission already granted and the further huge amount of housing being earmarked for Cranleigh in the draft Local Plan.
Many residents expressed their deep concerns about the relentless growth of new housing in Cranleigh, particularly as Waverley Borough Council has simply not dealt with Cranleigh’s serious infrastructure problems first.
At the end of the meeting, local residents took a vote of “NO CONFIDENCE” in the Leadership of Waverley Borough Council

226 FOR
1 AGAINST (this was a Waverley Borough Councillor)
2 ABSTENTIONS (we think from people who live outside of Cranleigh)

We have written to Julia Potts, the Leader of Waverley Borough Council, to confirm the vote of “No Confidence” taken by those attending the public meeting:
Dear Ms Potts
As you are aware, Cranleigh Civic Society recently organised a public meeting at our village hall at which we shared our knowledge of what is happening now, and what is being planned for the future of our village. Many of the 229 people who attended passionately expressed their anger and concerns about the volume of housing your team has approved to be built on our green fields and how many more you intend to send our way.
Equal to this were the worries about how our already poor infrastructure will cope with the huge increase in the population. As promised, I relayed your message of how much you care about our village, and I must tell you it was not well received.
At the end of the meeting we offered the opportunity for them to vote by a show of hands if they wanted to send you a strong and clear message that they do not have confidence in your team’s ability to care for the quality of our lives and wellbeing through your actions and inaction; 226 voted to support this statement, one opposed and two abstained.
I trust this message is clear.
Phill Price
Chairman
Cranleigh Civic Society

We have not received a reply from this letter yet.

Also discussed at the meeting was the petition we have been running to ask our MP to insist on our drinking water to be tested for the risk from asbestos, as 29.6% of our water pipes are made from asbestos cement. The petition has now closed at 714 signatures and we have now sent this to Anne Milton for her action.
What are the next steps?
We are now investigating the options available to us and we will let you know when we know more.

What can we all do?
– Write to your MP Anne Milton NOW (email anne.milton.mp@parliament.uk). Whilst we as the Cranleigh Civic Society are strictly non-political, you may feel that you have been let down by your MP in not stopping the relentless attack by housing developers on Cranleigh’s green fields, particularly as it is Government Policy that brown field sites should be built on nationally first.
– Write to the Waverley Borough Councillors (details are on their website) to tell them you are not happy with the way the decisions are made.
– Object online on all applications you feel are unsustainable – details are on our website
– Turn up at the Council Offices at The Bury’s, Godalming when the Joint Planning Committee meet to vote on the larger housing applications. The public gallery only has a few seats so either turn up early or turn up just for the arrival of the councillors before the meeting so that they can see that people of Cranleigh do really care.
– If not already done, subscribe to the updates from our website, so you are informed of any news

We will update the website in the next few days with diary dates for the upcoming Little Meadow application, Springbok Inquiry, Dunsfold Inquiry, etc

regards

Jane Price
Membership Secretary
Cranleigh Civic Society

http://www.cranleighsociety.org
https://www.facebook.com/cranleighsociety

Will the people of Cranleigh get a response?

Don’t hold your breath, because ‘Your Waverley’ doesn’t give a jot what Cranleigh people think. If it  did, it wouldn’t be putting out RFP’s (Request for Proposal) to sports consultants around the country to build a new Leisure Centre on the Snoxhall Playing fields – on land held  by Cranleigh Parish Council on behalf of its residents!