Tag: Waverley Borough Council

‘Your Waverley’ is about to make the biggest decision in a decade! WOW!

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We wouldn’t suggest for one moment that you attempt to watch this – most enlightening – meeting of the Corporate Overview & Scrutiny Committee on the link below:
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This cosy little get-together was almost inaudible , nobody was named, (no names – no pack-drill, as they used to say to us in the army), and the sound reception was awful. The only plus – web watchers were able to see the whole meeting which is more than can be said for most webcasts at Waverley Towers these days. Did they buy the new equipment on E-Bay? It has not gone unnoticed here at the Waverley Web that the committees set up to ensure  backbenchers get a chance to apply the essential checks and balances that are required for good governance, were poked away in a committee room with no web casting throughout the summer. Thankfully, Incy Wincy hanging in the dark and dusty corners, was able listen in. Heaven help us when they start clening properly!

If ‘Your Waverley’  can’t sort out the basics, how is it  going to set up an investment company which aspires to  invest up to £250 million of our money! Still WW gives them ten out of ten for trying.

Or, is this another cunning plan to prevent us knowing what they know?

So forgive us, as we attempt here to pick out the bones of the latest Overview & Scrutiny meeting.  

Firstly, for background: ‘Your Waverley’ decided in July to create a property company to invest ‘our money’ in residential and commercial property. OK so far?  The rationale is to bridge the gap in the council’s deteriorating finances. If it doesn’t do something  it will be £2.8m in the red in three years and then …  bankrupt. 

Chairman John Williamson  said “the [committee] is picking over the bones whilst the animal is dying.. if we continue with what we are doing we are going to end up bankrupt” 1:57.20 in the clip above.

Many councils are well ahead  of  Waverley in playing the Casino game. Surrey County Council has invested £300/400 million on various ventures for a 1% return. Yippee – let’s all go down to Bet Fred with our winnings.

Now it isn’t our style to be meanies about the huge efforts made by  our council to keep us  in the black, because it is – quite  simply – between a rock and a hard place.

Surrey and Waverley Councillor Peter Martin said Waverley is suffering  similar problems to the county council: ‘At Surrey first we cut out the fat, then the muscle and now we are now down to the bone.’ “I have no magical ideas. – the situation we are in is shocking it appears Surrey’s the victim and it is quite preposterous – we have to put up council tax by 6% just to stand still or find more savings – it’s OUTRAGEOUS and we have told the Government – UP WITH THIS, WE WILL NOT PUT.’

Negative Rate Support Grant  – Surrey MP and chancellor Phillip Hammond is not only scrapping the central government grant to councils – he is asking for cash back of £800,000 from Waverley. Whilst Peter Martin says Surrey has lobbied the Surrey Tory MPs who all say that’s terrible, they won’t do anything about it.

Well, how mean is that!  Because, if they won’t listen to a true blue Tory – why would they listen to us!

However, we are slightly anxious after listening to the debate it appears our great  white hope new investment company has :-

  • Has no business plan.
  • Wants to buy property nationwide in an uncertain market.
  • Can only pay peanuts for non executive directors and hopes to rustle up a few local volunteers.
  • Will have to shell out £25,000 to set up the company. Could that be gold-plated business cards for councillors?
  • And…  will be run by an Advisory Board on which the chosen few will sit and  will decide where ‘our money’ is to be spent.
  • And will  rely on a third party property manager.

Nothing to worry about there then!

 Jaws dropped when Councillor Nick Holder mentioned that Surrey County Council had invested THREE BILLION POUNDS IN PROPERTY AROUND THE COUNTRY, a figure that was quickly scotched by Waverley and SCC Councillor Peter Martin who said it was only between £3 – £400 million which  was, currently producing an income of 1%. Phew!Before appointing external specialists and external advisors, the Overview & Scrutiny Committee was asked to agree the way forward.

Councillor Peter Martin saw no reason for a Business Plan – as  the most important thing  was to just ‘borrow cheap to invest.’ Councillor Ged Hall suggested  ‘if the right thing comes up, we’ll snap it up.’ Perhaps they should remember this banner headline.

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Councillors John Gray,  Stephen Mulliner and Mike Band, John Williamson were far more circumspect believing A business plan was essential and saying  they had  some ‘very real concerns’ about the current economic climate, suggesting investments should be mostly local, where local knowledge could prove invaluable.

 Councillor Holder suggested others should follow the lead of Godalming Town Council and  raise more income themselves. It had borrowed from the Public Works Board (what they  themselves were suggesting earlier in  Item 1 on the Agenda ) to fund the rebuilding and extension of the Wilfred Noyce Hall as they were making a profit out of it. When he started reeling off figures he was reminded by Chairman John Wilkinson ‘not to read out the legal bits as the meeting was being webcast.’ Worry not Councillor W – it was practically impossible to hear the illegal legal bits!!

‘When we switch over later I’ll come  back to it said Solicitor Daniel Bainbridge’.

Perhaps the WW should mention that making a profit on the approximate £900,000 investment is not entirely true. Bearing in mind the low interest rates and increase in council tax,  tax payers over time are expected  to pay off the loan over 20 years.
Stephen Mulliner cautioned – everyone, that if the properties purchased remained empty, they would still have to  pay council tax to someone  and issued another warning about Waverley’s parlous state.

The Chairman said this was the biggest decision WBC would make for a decade, and it was essential both  governance and all the necessary checks and balances were in place. The Committee agreed to tell its  Executive it had not provided it with enough detail. 

 

GOING FOR GOLD IN ALFOLD!

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First shock of the day at the Alfold Public Inquiry!

Within ten minutes of a public inquiry opening, the appellant,  Thakeham Homes, warns it  intends to land all its costs into Waverley’s lap!

One thing you can say for Your Waverley it is on the ball!

Let’s hope it’s in the money too!

Picture posted on Facebook by Alfold Fights Back.

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It is well-rounded, (51 of its 57 councillors are from one party) it bounces around all over the place, (two Daft Local Plans and one, not quite so Daft, over ten years). It had a rubber Band (Mike) at its heart  for many years – don’t see much of him now though, and it bounces back into power regardless of how many times residents take ‘Votes of No Confidence’ in its administrative prowess  … which are ignored!

So… WHY HAS IT WAITED UNTIL FIVE DAYS BEFORE A PUBLIC INQUIRY OPENS INTO A HUGE SCHEME TO MORE THAN DOUBLE THE SIZE OF THE  TINY VILLAGE OF ALFOLD… TO EARMARK FUNDS TO FIGHT THE SCHEME AT APPEAL?

Last Tuesday’s meeting of the EXECUTIVE  voted to provide its planning team with £100,000 for Barristers and Expert witnesses to challenge Thakeham Homes appeal against its refusal to allow a new village to be bolted onto the Surrey/Sussex Village.

When does the Appeal take place?  TODAY!

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Click on the link below for a previous post outlining the scheme to build 465 dwellings on the Springbok Estate in the middle of Waverley’s countryside on land owned by Seaman’s Charity Care Ashore on the Surrey/Sussex border.

Is the boat about to sail for – Care Ashore?

So… ‘Your Waverley’ wait until seven days before  a controversial Public Inquiry takes place before  deciding  whether to spend £100,000 of the taxpayers’ money! No doubt Thakeham Homes are laughing all the way to the Inspector’s door, as they will, no doubt, have gathered all the planning brains and experts available to ensure its cunning plan comes to fruition,

But maybe…just maybe, someone at ‘YW’ just forgot to set the money aside, and officers and legal eagles have been preparing  for the event  for many months? Let’s hope so.

Do the good people of Alfold go into battle confident and safe  in the knowledge that its borough council is vigorously defending its very future, let’s hope so for their sake?

Your Waverley’s Councillor Jim Edwards was completely carried away with his own enthusiasm whilst supporting the £100,000 spend, even though he said there was no money in the council’s planning coffers! Waverley Planners refused the application in 2016. He said: We should apply to the Inspector for costs, because I don’t think they have a leg to stand on personally, knowing Alfold and I just hope we get costs!’

We hope you are right Sunny Jim, but don’t hold your breath!

There are some very angry people over there in the East – who want to know, WHY  two major public inquiries are being held on the same day in different parts of the borough. Of course, we couldn’t possibly comment!

They cannot make the Farnham Herald’s letters page big enough to take the complaints against ‘Your Waverley.’

Buy that Great Farnham Newspaper and read it!  

Here at the Waverley Web we want the whole borough to be aware of the Balls Up Of  Blightwells – about to be built on Flood Zone 3 in East Street, Farnham.

 

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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.

WOE IS WAVERLEY!

OH WOE, WOE AND DOUBLE WOE!

Inspector Bore made his views very clear at the end of the first week of his Inquiry into Waverley Borough Council’s now, not-quite-so-daft looking, Draft Local Plan. And he left no room for equivocation in that, given a choice between having a home and being stuck for a few more minutes in traffic on the A3, he knows what his choice – and the Government’s choice – will be!

Cue deeply indrawn breaths from all those present in the Waverley Council Chamber who are opposed to more development!

Inspector Bore also made it very clear that Waverley’s housing numbers will need to increase!

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Cue another collective intake of breath from the anti-development-brigade, spear-headed by Protect Our Waverley (who else?!) and the Man from CPRE (well he would, wouldn’t he?!).

Inspector Bore  indicated that Waverley does not have a five-year housing supply and concurred with the view of a ‘housing forum’, made up of interested developers, that the Council simply cannot rely on a 100% achievement rate because, not only is that undeliverable but unreasonable.

Q: Why?

A: Because no one ever gets a score of 100 / 100. Ergo, Waverley’s housing numbers will have to go up.

Graham Parrott – looking as sick as one – gamely tabled a plan designed to demonstrate how constrained the borough of Waverley is in development terms but Inspector Bore was having none of it. He told the Chamber that Waverley was not nearly as constrained as either Guildford or Woking … Oh, and by the way, Waverley’s going to have to take 50% of Woking’s unmet need!

Forget indrawn breaths, at this point the POW collective nearly choked on theirs! Had they really heard that right? 50%? They thought they had enough to worry over where Waverley was planning to put its existing numbers and now they’re expected to take 50% of another borough’s unmet need! This was beyond their worst nightmares!

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But Inspector Bore was in a benevolent mood; he assured those assembled in the Council Chamber that he wasn’t there to hinder them but to help them get their plan adopted. And, in order to help him to help them, the planners needed to go away and think about how and where they might accommodate their – and Woking’s – increased housing need.

Our spider, nearly strangled itself in its own web hanging from the public gallery as it frantically tried to do the animated-spider-image-0157 arithmetic on the back of an envelope, as the day progressed, and reckoned, by the end of it, the numbers are going to be not far south of 600 per annum!

Had they been on hand this was the point that the stretchers would have been rushed into the Council Chamber … but Inspector Bore hadn’t finished. He had some hints, some helpful suggestions, as to how Waverley might go about opening their door to the developers and rolling out the red carpet. Elsewhere, he offered, planners had adopted a policy whereby they decided, all other things being equal, development would be acceptable if it was proposed adjacent to existing development …

It took a few moments for the import of his words to sink in but when they did the blood drained from the faces of those representing the Parish Councils and Protect Our Little Corner …

Was he really suggesting …? Did he honestly think …? Surely not …? He could not possibly mean …

Yep, they got there … eventually! The Inspector was giving Waverley Planners a prod in the ribs – and the Parish Councils and Protect Our Little Corner a massive punch in the gut!

He was actually daring to propose the previously unimaginable: that the villages – and, yes, that’s all of the villages (even the oh, so precious, we are an isolated rural idyll and therefore an exceptional case, villages of Alfold and Dunsfold, Shamley Green, Wonersh, Ewhurst, Elstead, Milford and on it goes around Farnham ) – will  have to take more houses!

Yes, that means every last damn one of them – even the oh-so-precious, we are an isolated rural idyll and therefore an exceptional case villages of Alfold and Dunsfold! It means Alfold, Bramley, Busbridge, Chiddingfold, Compton, Cranleigh, Dunsfold, Enton, Ewhurst, Godalming, Hambledon, Hascombe, Hydestile, Milford, Munstead, Shalford, Witley, Wonersh and everywhere in between.

Not one of them is going to escape unscathed, untouched and any protestations about congestion on the A281 are, we have no doubt, going to be met with the same brisk rebuttal that was delivered with regard to congestion on the A3: both Inspector Bore and the Government consider delivering homes more important than a couple of minutes additional delay on the daily commute!

So, there you have it folks, unless someone, somewhere can pinpoint a large, empty, brownfield site that’s going begging – and, let’s face it, there aren’t too many of those around, are there? – all of the villages are going to have to take a far greater number of houses than they previously imagined – even in their worst nightmares! So much for Protect Our Little Corner’s dastardly plan to push it all onto Cranleigh and Farnham. It would appear to be blowing up in their faces for the Inspector has them in his sights.

Stand by your beds!!! In the Second World War they dug up the cricket pitches to plant vegetables … in 2018 they might be digging them up to pour concrete!

PS Our advice to local Councillors this week-end:

Take the landline off the hook, switch off your mobile phone and ignore your email because when Wild-of-Waverley gets wind of development on their doorstep they’re not going to be pleased. But it’s not Richard Shut-the-Gates, Robert Know-less and Mary Orton-Pett and all those Cranleigh Councillors who did/didn’t attend secret meetings  – the architects of this developing disaster (no pun intended – oh, ok, maybe just a little one!) they’ll be ringing to berate. Oh no, they’re yesterday’s (wo)men. Between them that lot triumvirate have done untold damage to the Borough with their insistence that Waverley, on their watch, behave as if it were an island, a special case, a forbidden fruit where developers crossed the borough line at their peril. Now their chickens look as if they’re coming home to roost, thanks to all those Cranleigh councillors who did/didn’t attend those “secret meetings.” However,  it’s not Shut-the-Gate, Know-less and Mrs MOP the residents will be ringing, its poor old – and those are words we never thought we’d hear ourselves say – Gone-to-Potts and that Dick D’Anus!

PPS Our advice to local would-be-developers:

Pull out those old plans to develop on greenfields and gardens, dust them off and totter down to the hallowed halls of The Burys where Liz-the-Biz-Simms and her planners will greet you with open arms – unfortunately, the red carpet’s not an option due to ‘elf and safety concerns … But never mind, there’s much to celebrate if you’re a would-be-developer in Waverley, cos there’s a Concrete Fest coming to a field, in a village, near all of us!