Mound Roundup

There has been much discussion on the future of the hated mound that appeared in QE Gardens Horsell over the summer.

I don't have full details yet but it seems the situation is resolved and the mound will be no more.

The 'feature' won't disappear immediately but it will go.

Congratulations to the petitioners whose hard work gathering signatures calling for the mound to be removed showed the Council the strength of feeling in Horsell.

Horror at Decimation of Horsell Public Amenity Space

*** BREAKING NEWS  ***

Public concern is growing and I have now asked the Council to stop work on this area until a solution can be found that works for residents and the project.
 
*** BREAKING NEWS  ***

Finally I have some answers on how a public amenity area at Queen Elizabeth Gardens in Horsell came to be destroyed.

Ten days ago I blogged on resident's horror at the loss of a public amenity space.

I set out the following questions and I now have some answers ...

How could this be major change to our local landscape be described as a minor amendment when it dramatically alters and renders virtually useless a public amenity area?

Council officers insist that this is a minor change and that it was clear from the original planning application what was to be created in this area.  Here is the graphic which showed those who looked at the plans online (assuming they could find a suitably old version of Internet Explorer) and people who attended Horsell Residents Association AGM, what the area would look like.

Graphic showing layout of Horsell Civic Space. Note blue/green wavy line to left of Bowls Club. Is this meant to indicate a slope?

The text to the left of the area refers to excess material being used to stabilise slopes and to creating gentle parkland landform.  I don't know about anyone else but I read this as improving the existing slope not creating a whole new, bigger, steeper peak that takes over the area.

Who took the decision to make this minor amendment and who (other than residents through the planning process) was consulted on the decision?

No direct responsibility has been taken for making the decision on this. The architects working for the Council on the project drew up the plans.  Initially they hoped to get them agreed by Planning without the submission of a planning application.  The insistence is that this was always intended.  The plans submitted for the later planning application show what is intended.  No such plans were included in the original planning application.

Statutory planning consultation was carried out on the minor amendment but only with homes on the High Street, Hill Close and Bury Lane.  The wider resident population (including this local councillor) knew nothing of this. I am unclear as to whether Conservative councillors were aware. One councillor talks of closely following progress on this project.  Was this missed or was she happy for these changes to the plans to take place?

Are any policies breached by the loss of public amenity space?

Apparently not because the space is not lost, just changed.  I am told it can still be used and Natural England "recommend slopes" for children to play on.  Children had slopes before, they enjoyed playing on the incline to the Bowls Green.  Children also had a flat area to play ball games and run around.  They don't have that flat area any more.

Diagram submitted with later application showing full extent of incline

The image above shows, from left to right = a tree from the residential boundary, then the proposed re-routed footpath, a huge slope and the hedge to the Bowls Green.

Has a safety assessment taken place?

I am told there are no safety concerns despite potential users of the footpath being surrounded by a mound 4.49 metres high on one side and boundary fences on the other side.

A new question is just why do this at all?

Retention of spoil on site will presumably save a lot of money.  Is this a way of reducing project costs?

What Next

Anger is growing in Horsell.  With schools due to break up this week parents are particularly angry and many have time available to let the Council know their views.

I am fully behind those who object to this decimation of our local amenity space.  I want to find a way forward that gives a relatively flat space back to residents as soon as possible.

Arthur's Bridge Safety works only solves half the problem

Work has taken place at the Arthur's Bridge / Lockfield Drive road junction as anticipated in my blog post of a few weeks ago. 

It is not quite as I was expecting.

The far side of Lockfield Drive from Horsell, heading towards Harelands Roundabout has been improved. The run up to the traffic lights is now a single clear lane.  All good. But ...

What about the road in the other direction? To my mind this is where much of the problem lies.  Vehicles coming from Harelands Roundabout race to the lights in the right hand lane.  Cars leaving Arthur's Bridge turn out and right as the lights are changing.  On several occasions this has led to collisions.  

Why has Surrey gone to so much effort to only fix half of the problem?

I am trying to find out.

Looking forward to going on safari

Lucy enjoying the 2012 Garden Safari

June is the safari season in Horsell.  Yes, that's right, the village of Horsell hosts its 11th annual Garden Safari on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 June.  

There won't be too many big beasts prowling the streets but there will be 25 gardens to visit over the two days.  

Opening hours and tickets

Gardens are open 11am to 5pm on Saturday and 12pm to 5pm on Sunday.  Buy tickets from Spar, Needle and Thread or Lisa Jones hairdressers in Horsell High Street or at The Lightbox.  Tickets cost £7 per adult (children go free) and include a map of the gardens and details of extras available at each location such as refreshments or plant sales.

The Safari is always a great event with new and old gardens to see, some delicious cakes and even wildlife (usually nothing more vicious than chickens).

Visitors drive, cycle or walk around and you can go to as many or as few gardens as you wish.

Pares Woodland Garden

A special feature of this year's Garden Safari will be the opening of Pares Woodland Garden.  I've blogged here on how the vision of one man and the hard work of the 2nd Thursday club transformed an overgrown piece of land behind the High Street into an inviting woodland garden.  Now you can come and see the finished project for yourself.  Grand opening Saturday 15 June at 10.30 and then open as for the rest of the Safari over the weekend.

Supporting community facilities

Funds raised from the Garden Safari go towards the upkeep of the Village Hall and in recent years has contributed to both new flooring and a new boiler.

Finally safety works on Arthur's Bridge / Well Lane?

Signs displayed on Well Lane in Horsell suggest that long promised safety work on the junction of Well Lane / Arthur's Bridge and Lockfield Drive may finally be about to happen.

I blogged back in October that this work was imminent.  Despite Surrey County Council announcing the work it didn't happen at that time. No idea why.

Then, Surrey, with their usual forethought, suggested doing the work in January - at the same time as the closure of Triggs Lane.  It was politely suggested this wasn't a good idea.

Finally, I hope, work will start on 22 May.  That will be almost 3 years since I wrote on my blog summarising the issue and highlighting concerns that had already been made many times.

The junction will be closed whilst the work is done so it will be an inconvenience for some days.  i hope it will be worth it for a safer junction in future.

Getting on your bike in Woking

Lots of people get on their bikes on Woking

Figures released recently by the Department of Transport show that 23% of Woking residents get on their bike at least once a month.  This is above the average for both Surrey (20%) and nationally (15%).

Surrey County Council is now offering local companies funding to provide cycle parking and an agreement to match fund any money raised for changing facilities such as showers and lockers at the workplace.

All good stuff but a few road improvements wouldn't go amiss.  I'm still waiting for a re-paint of the white lines that denote a cycle lane that isn't meant to be a cycle lane on Brewery Road in Horsell

The Day Two Cranes Met

Saturday was the day two cranes met as the huge crane left the WWF building site on Brewery Road in Horsell.  A section of the road from Chobham Road to the beginning of Horsell Moor was closed all day whilst another crane lifted out the site crane.

Wilmott Dixon had leafletted some nearby residents but it seemed a number were not aware of the road closure as they turned along Brewery Road towards the closure.

Signage on the roundabout at the junction with Arthur's Bridge and Church Hill said "Road Ahead Closed" but didn't make it clear which road was closed or where it was closed.

The only advance notice on the road was A4 notices on lamp posts which said the road would be closed on the weekend of 6/7 April!  When we closed the High Street for Jubilee celebrations last year it was a requirement to display advance notice of the road closure.  That certainly didn't happen with this closure.  Surrey Highways did not have any details of the closure on their website.

It was after 8pm when the workers packed up on Saturday night.  I was told that it was hoped to complete all the work on Saturday (but the road closure does cover Sunday as well) but last time I looked some of the equipment was still on the road.  Hopefully this will be cleared early on Sunday and the road re-opened.

Road Closure as Crane Leaves WWF site

Brewery Road will be closed this Saturday (20 April) as the crane is removed from the WWF building site.  The removal of the huge crane means that Brewery Road needs to be closed from 7am to 6pm on Saturday.  The road will be closed from Chobham Road to the first turning into Horsell Moor.

Vehicles are diverted via the Arthur's Bridge roundabout or Well Lane onto Lockfield Drive.  Coming into Horsell this will require a u-turn on the Harelands roundabout.

Pedestrians will need to travel to and from Chobham Road and the town centre via the towpath.  Although there will be step free access from the new Bedser Bridge to the towpath when the WWF HQ is complete at the moment there are several steps up to the bridge.  On Saturday anyone in a wheelchair, mobility scooter or with a buggy is likely to have to go along the towpath to Chobham Road (just when you thought the diversions were over).

Wilmott Dixon have the facility to close the road on Sunday as well but hope to complete all the removal on Saturday unless there are very windy conditions.

I have had great difficulty getting information about the timing and scale of this road closure.  I was originally consulted as a borough councillor about a closure that was planned for two weekends ago.  I heard nothing more until a county colleague forwarded me a Travel Alert about a closure this coming weekend.  As a close neighbour of the building site I had a note through the door from Wilmott Dixon last week but residents of Horsell Moor tell me they have seen nothing.  Notices went up on lamp posts in Brewery Road over the weekend but they refer to a closure on 6/7 April.  They fail to make it clear that the whole road will be closed.

It took phone calls to Surrey's call centre (member of staff very helpful but had no information), the Wilmott Dixon site manager and the provider of the crane removal equipment to get answers.

Lower Bedser Bridge opening seals residents' victory

The long wait is finally over.  Almost a year since the old bridge over the Basingstoke Canal in Horsell closed (23 April 2012) the Bedser Bridge is open.  

There was general delight among residents of Horsell as a lower bridge that fits its environment was opened.  "This seals the residents' victory won when 2000 people responded to a consultation on the bridge" said Cllr. Ann-Marie Barker.

Initial reactions to news the bridge had opened:

Cllr Ann-Marie Barker is delighted the lower bridge
that fits its environment is finally open over the canal

"That shortens my walk to the station in the morning"

"It looks impressive"

"Woo"

"That's good"

Waiting for the opening

We were promised our new bridge in "early 2013" and indeed i had heard it was hoped to complete the work by late 2012.  January came and went and there was no sign of the new bridge or any updated information.  I chased up the opening date with Woking Council but their answer to me and residents who enquired was seemingly stuck in the groove of "early 2013".

In late March I heard the bridge was likely to open soon after Easter, then checks called for a few corrections and the opening was going to be a week or so ago. Finally the magic date of Monday 15 April emerged.  I updated residents of this possibility at the Residents Association AGM last Friday and was promptly chastised by a Conservative councillor for informing people that the opening of the bridge was imminent.

History of the Bedser Bridge

The opening of the Bedser Bridge seals a series of events that began back in September 2011.  As I blogged at the time I had a shock when I returned from holiday in early September and settled down to read my latest Council papers.  For the first time I saw a visual of the bridge planned to cross the canal.  It was high up in the air, 5 feet higher than the old bridge; access was via a very long ramp that ran most of the length of the car park site or many stairs and it looked like a motorway bridge.  

I set about gathering the views of others across Horsell and beyond.  There was general dissatisfaction and a petition was set up to ask the Council to think again.  Under the weight of dissent the Conservative run Council gave way and held a consultation on changing the bridge design.  Over 2000 responses later they agreed to get the bridge redesigned.  My blog post on this victory for residents was posted in December 2011.

Shock at Conservatives

I was rather shocked at the sheer brass neck of our local Conservatives when I saw their party website today.  They give a very partial view of the history of this bridge.  I've picked out a few choice lines:

"... Horsell councillors Beryl Hunwicks and Tony Branagan were among the first people to get a look at the new bridge ..."

Hardly surprising as no doubt they were told in advance exactly when the bridge would be open.  A service not afforded to opposition councillors or the general public   I got a call from a resident to tell me the bridge was open at 12.45 on Monday.  I got a press release from the Council 4 hours later!

"The bridge has also been designed to be free of steps, as specified by a motion made to Woking Borough Council by Conservative leader John Kingsbury last year."

Yes that motion was proposed by the Leader but only after I had made the public aware of what was being proposed and concerns were raised.  Our local Conservative councillors also seem to have missed the point that, until the WWF HQ is complete you can only get from the bridge to the towpath by means of several steps.

"I know that not everyone believed it would be open in early spring as we said ..."

No we expected it to be open "early in 2013" as you said and the public has been requesting updated information since the beginning of the year.  We were told the work would take 9 months or 40 weeks and it has been just a week short of 12 months.  Hardly on time.

But, the bridge is there and the long walk around is over.  Let's celebrate.

Trying to Tackle Flooding

As the rain set in yet again on Saturday (what happened to that sunny weather that was forecast?)  my mind turned to the floods on local roads that would inevitably follow the precipitation. 

Flooding on Brewery Road affects
the pedestrian crossing

Upper most in my mind was the flooding on Brewery Road.  This is a key walking and cycling route into the town centre from Horsell and affects a pedestrian crossing.

I have been asking for action on this, and other areas of flooding, since the rain set in after the "drought" (remember the hosepipe ban?) early last summer.  Initially I reported the flooding to the county council but when nothing happened I started asking questions at Surrey's Local Committee of county and borough councillors from Woking.

In addition to floods on Brewery Road I identified flooding on Arthur's Bridge Road, Church Hill, the Brewery Road exit from the roundabout at Church Hill / Arthur's Bridge and at crossings over Victoria Way.

I have put questions to the last 3 Local Committees.  Within my questions I have raised the theory that much flooding seems to have happened after roads have been resurfaced.  This possibility has been rejected by county officers.

Pedestrians and cyclists run
gauntlet of a shower from
thoughtless motorists

As a result of my questioning 

• There has been progress on Arthur's Bridge where clearing the drains appears to have solved the problem.  
• I am told the flooding on Church Hill and at the roundabout is due to a drain problem which has been passed to Thames Water to remedy.  
• The County denies the crossings of Victoria Way have a flood issue.  
• The flooding on Brewery Road remains unresolved.  The latest response I received, back in March, was that investigations are continuing.  Meanwhile pedestrians and cyclists continue to run the gauntlet of safely passing the puddles before getting a free shower courtesy of a thoughtless motorist.

I set out below the questions I have asked by date.  

My attempts to get local flooding fixed - Questions asked to the Woking Local Committee

September 2012

There are a number of roads in my area that suffer from notable flooding after heavy rain.  This can be caused by drains blocking but in recent times seems to be an after effect of resurfacing works.  I have raised this issue with officers and I believe some investigative work has been done but I would like an update on

- when flooding on Brewery Road and Arthur's Bridge Road is expected to be remedied

- whether there are issues with the contractor resurfacing roads and flooding after resurfacing has been noted in other areas, and, if so what is being done to put this right in future

December 2012

I asked a question about flooding at the last Local Committee but don't believe the matter was fully addressed.  Improvement has been seen on Arthur's Bridge Road because I believe this was a drain clearance issue but in the last couple of months I have noticed that there are several roads which have been resurfaced or re-laid as part of road improvements in recent years that now have large puddles when it rains heavily.  Locations are:

- the lower part of Church Hill where the pavement was widened and dropped kerbs added several years ago

- the junction of Brewery Road with the Arthur's Bridge Road roundabout which was created in the last few years

- Brewery Road outside the entrance to the WWF building site (this has improved a little I think from drain clearance) but there is still a large puddle.  This part of Brewery Road was resurfaced earlier this year and the problem has been there since that time

- the pedestrian crossings over Chobham Road and then Victoria Way into Woking town centre

- the pedestrian crossing over Victoria Way by the Lightbox into Woking Town Centre

Would you agree that there does appear to be a problem when Surrey Highways contractors resurface or create new road structures?

What will be done to remove this puddling in the short term?

What can change in future so that these problems do not continue?

March 2013

Could Highways please tell me what action has been taken in response to my question to the previous local committee three months ago in respect of 'puddling' problems at the following locations:

- the lower part of Church Hill, Horsell

- the junction of Brewery Road with the Arthur's Bridge Road roundabout, Horsell

- Brewery Road, Horsell  outside the entrance to the WWF building site

- the pedestrian crossings over Chobham Road and then Victoria Way into Woking town centre

- the pedestrian crossing over Victoria Way by the Lightbox into Woking Town Centre

To Surrey and beyond ...

After being a Woking borough councillor representing Horsell for 7 years I am taking a big step and putting myself forward as a candidate for Surrey County Council.  Elections take place on Thursday 2 May.

County 'divisions' are larger than borough 'wards' so I will be going beyond my current area of Horsell West and looking to become county councillor for the Goldsworth East and Horsell Village division.  This is an area that starts where Chobham Road meets Brewery Road. It runs through Horsell, taking in side roads along Church Hill and the High Street and up to the Cricketers and Horsell Birch.  Claydon Road (opposite Squires garden nursery), Carthouse Lane and two bits of roads in Chobham are outlying parts of the area. Heading up Bullbeggars the Goldsworth East patch begins on Sythwood, taking in the Lakeview estate and roads around Waitrose and the central area of Goldsworth Park.  It also covers Goldsworth Road, roads on the Goldsworth side of St John's Road and parts of the town centre.  All in all a diverse area.

Surrey has re-drawn its boundaries this year so the division for which I am standing is partly represented by two county councillors at the moment, neither of whom is standing for this seat.

Over my time as a borough councillor I have increasingly been asked about matters relating to Surrey Council.  Residents want to raise concerns about roads (especially potholes), traffic problems, social services and education and often come to me as their borough councillor.  It seemed a logical step to seek to formally take on these responsibilities - if this is the will of the electorate.

Looking Back at Lewis' McLaren Life in Horsell & Woking

As Lewis Hamilton announced his departure for Mercedes today it prompted me to look back at my memories of Lewis, McLaren and the motor racing team's home in Horsell, Woking.  It also raised the question is this a good move for the driver and his new team.

Soon after moving to Horsell I read in the local paper about a young go-kart champ signed by McLaren as a potential future F1 driver.  Lewis joined the McLaren development programme aged just 13.  I wondered then, back in 1998, if I would hear the name again.  That name, was of course,  Lewis Hamilton.  

I'm not a huge sports fan.  Tennis is the game I am most likely to watch or play.  I've been to Wimbledon a few times and was delighted to secure tickets  for the Olympic tennis championship there this summer.  I came to motor racing through my better half who has been a fan for many years and even did his own stint at kart racing and as an engineer for a racing driver friend.  I used to leave the room when the noise of twenty highly tuned racing cars invaded my lounge but over time I suppose I got used to the noise and I stayed around, albeit engaged in another activity.  I got familiar with the drivers and the teams.  I started to root for home teams and drivers.  I have never yet sat through a whole race without wandering about to do other things, reading or working on the laptop but I do find the start exciting and enjoy the stops and overtaking maneouevres. By the time we arrived in Woking I was a little bit of an F1 fan and knew the team had a headquarters in our new home.  Feeling I was in at the beginning with Lewis I have been particularly keen to follow his progress in F1.

Another lasting memory of our early days in Woking is watching Mika Hakkinnen drive his McLaren around the town after securing the world championship in 1998.  We stood near the junction of Chobham Road and Victoria Way.  As Mika approached us he revved his engine, waking our sleeping baby who howled at the shock of the noise.  It was such a pity we couldn't do the same for Lewis when he won the title ten years later.

Is a move to Mercedes a good one for Lewis?  The press seem unsure but having read this piece on BBC Sport which charts Lewis' career one key factor stood out.  Ross Brawn, former technical director at McLaren but also a previous holder of this pivotal role at Benetton and Ferrari is at Mercedes.  Could the combination of Brawn and Hamilton take Mercedes to the F1 title in the next few years?  I wouldn't rule it out.

Police action on speeding in Horsell

Walking down Brewery Road yesterday whilst my younger daughter practiced her bike riding skills (we've recently removed the stabilisers) I was a little concerned to see a group of police officers at the entrance to Horsell Park. "Has somebody done something wrong?" asked my daughter. Before I could respond our local neighbourhood officer for Horsell PC Josh Parish detached himself from the group and came over to speak to me.

It turned out that PC Parish had assembled the resources to carry out speed enforcement across Horsell. The team had just finished work on Brewery Road and were moving on to Chobham Road and Woodham Road, another team had covered the High Street. Most of these areas are places where I often walk or cycle and there are regular occurrences of speeding vehicles. I have also been involved in Speedwatch at some of these locations. I mentioned to PC Parish that I had recently seen two cars overtaking a third car that was keeping to the speed limit on Brewery Road.

PC Parish told me that a number of tickets were handed out and some warnings given. He also mentioned that the team had not been popular.

I'm delighted to see this police work taking place. Speedwatch is helpful at slowing traffic speeds in the local area but actual enforcement by the police sends a much stronger message to speeding drivers.