Election Round Up

As election day dawns I thought I would provide a round-up of some of the issues I have dealt with in recent months.  Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any queries or I can provide any further information.

Well Lane
As I have explained in previous posts Surrey County Council planned to resurface the road from end of March for 10 working days.  The project has run massively over time, affected all major utilities in the road, led to properties and vehicles being covered in a horrible white dust and had residents disturbed by unauthorised contractor work in the middle of the night. 

Blocked drain
Surrey has now been able to resurface part of the road, and very nice it is too.  The other part of the road has a huge hole courtesy of Thames Water who are trying to clear a blockage in the drain.  I spoke to Thames Water this week and they can't tell me when the blockage will be cleared.  They have regular trucks coming to pump out the drains.  This pumping will eventually clear the drain but it could be several more weeks!

Once Thames Water have finished Surrey's contractors will return and resurface the rest of the road.

Speed calming
At some point (it is not clear when) Surrey will consult Well Lane residents on putting back the speed calming.  There is likely to be yet more work on the road then to put in new humps.

When I followed up as to why speed humps would not be replaced during the resurfacing works I was told that the road resurfacing team on the special Project Horizon could only replace like with like and weren't told that new speed humps were required.  However plans for new speed humps and approval to consult residents was given by a council committtee last June.  Given that this work was originally planned for September, then November, then February you would have thought there had been plenty of time to sort the speed calming.

Learning lessons
The list of lessons to be learnt on how not to run a roadworks project is endless but there are several key points on which I am seeking answers from Surrey

- Who is in charge of these projects - Surrey commissions the project via the Project Horizon team, roadworks are contracted out to May Gurney, May Gurney then use multiple contractors on site.  Nobody seems to be in charge.  Our local county councillor, who lives just off Well Lane, has spent a lot of time in the road, but is this the role of a councillor?  What are we paying our taxes for if county council staff or the contractors paid money to maintain our roads are not managing the job?

- The resurfacing method used on Well Lane was apparently experimental.  Why were residents and local councillors not told that Horsell was to be a guinea pig in this work? Can we be assured this method will not be used when other roads including Arthurs' Bridge, Bury Lane, Church Hill, High Street and Thornash Road are resurfaced.

Queen Elizabeth Gardens
Most of the mound is gone but not all and the area is still not open to the public 9 months after it closed.  The delay is due to plans for a new footpath but this is now becoming unacceptable and I will be looking for answers on when we get our public space back if re-elected on Thursday.

Green gunge on the canal
Doesn't the canal look great now the green gunge has been cleared.  I raised this with Council and got them to take it up with the Basingstoke Canal Authority (to whom we pay fees to maintain the canal).  The canal authority finally came along and cleared the gunge with some new equipment.

Horsell Splash
There is still a puddle by the Brewery Road car park entrance.  Some clearance work had made the area around the zebra crossing stay clear unless there is a really substantial downpour.  The area at the car park entrance is as bad as ever.  We are still waiting for CCTV to look at the area between the road and the canal to find out what is blocking the water from draining.  I remain convinced that this is just part of the issue and that the flood at the entrance is due to incorrect levels when the road was resurfaced combined with heavy trucks in the area during the building of the WWF.  I will continue to press for action on this local hazard.

A Week of European hopefuls

Horsell was visited by two of the Lib Dem candidates seeking to be members of the European Parliament last week.  

Antony Hook in Woking

Anthony Hook dropped in on Tuesday.  He met local councillors and campaigners in Woking and then came to Horsell to.knock on doors and meet residents.  Anthony, a barrister by profession, is hoping to be elected as a member of the European Parliament for the South East for the first time.  As a barrister Antony worked with the police to prosecute international fraud and money laundering cases.  Antony is focusing on the jobs and economic strength that come from the UK being IN Europe.

Catherine Bearder with Ann-Marie Barker
& Will Forster in Horsell

Current MEP Catherine Bearder came to Horsell on Saturday.  She enjoyed meeting residents and was horrified at the shambles Surrey County Council has created in Well Lane.  Catherine is a current MEP who is recognised in Europe for her passion and her hard work.  She has championed environmental causes in Europe and worked to end human trafficking.  Catherine has encouraged South East communities affected by flooding to apply for EU grants.

Victoria Square - Retail and Tower Blocks

A planning application has been submitted for the development called "Victoria Square".  This is planned as a retail extension to Wolsey Walk, covering the area of the Bandstand, the fire station and to the current Boots store on Commercial Way.  Marks and Spencer will be the flagship store and there are hoped to be other new shops and restaurants.  The development is also planned to include residential towers, a hotel and gym / spa and potentially medical provision.

The road layout around the area will change dramatically if these plans go ahead.  Cawsey Way (behind Wolsey Place) where buses currently stop will be closed.  Road changes will mean a revision of bus stops and routes around the town.

Plans were initially due to have gone to the planning committe by now but councillors expressed concerns about the road system and planned location of bus stopping points.  One drop-off point for buses was suggested as Victoria Way - just past the junction with Goldsworth Road.  This would reduce Victoria Way to a single line.  Councillors felt this could only be a recipe for more town centre congestion and plans are now being reviewed before the application comes to committee.

I have concerns about the high rise blocks proposed in this application.  i am all in favour of building in the town to save our green spaces (although we must also recognise the need for family housing) but these blocks would be the 3rd tallest structure in Britain (outside of London).  Do we really need skyscrapers in Woking?

Horsell Hell Goes on in Well Lane - Day 38

No sign of a new surface on Well Lane

The Horsell Hell that is the Well Lane resurfacing works is now entering its sixth week.  Work was scheduled to take 10 working days. 

Contractors started work on 2 April so work should have been completed on 15 April. The project is now 12 working days over time.  it has taken more than twice the allocated project time to date.

There is still no end in sight.





The current situation is that the road is being resurfaced in sections.  This is a slow process. Thames Water continue to work on the drainage in the road after drains collapsed during an earlier stage of the work.

I wonder if it is a record that these works have impacted all the utilities during their tortuous procession.  The water main has been hit at least twice, sewage has been affected on a number of occasions,  there have been at least two gas leaks and a power cut of several hours duration.

During this hell residents and businesses have suffered noise, dirt, impeded access, late night disturbance and a scene of chaos outside their front doors.

Surrey County Council should offer compensation to both residents and businesses that have suffered so much, for so long,

Council Planning Site finally moves beyond Internet Explorer

Woking's Updated Public Access for Planning System

After a wait of more than 3 years Woking Council finally has a planning access system that works on modern browsers.

For the last few years we have been stuck with  a system that only worked on older versions of Internet Explorer.  Residents wanting to view the documents of a planning application had to revert from browsers such as Chrome and Firefox to the older browser.  



I first raised the incompatibility issue back at the end of 2010 after residents highlighted a problem.  My research at the time informed me that the supplier of the system used by Woking would be upgrading.  I was then told that the upgrade wasn't to happen for over a year.  A ridiculously long time to wait.

Worse was to come.  A long way towards the promised upgrade data, the supplier announced there was to be no upgrade.  A new supplier was required, and this was actioned by the incoming new Head of Planning.

It has all taken much longer than it should have done but I am pleased that we now have a system that makes planning application documents accessible to the public.

Open for Business in Well Lane

As the endless, chaotic programme of road resurfacing drags on in Well Lane local businesses are suffering.  It looks like there may well be another two weeks of disruption before the work is finished.

Access to businesses is open but it's not surprising that many are put off by the scene of devastation.

Horsell Fish and Chip Shop has continued to trade throughout the works.  Business has been particularly affected at lunch times.

I have been along to Well Lane a number of times to see the effect on businesses and residents and have spoken with Brian, the owner of the chip shop.  With the work entering its 5th weekend the family and I supported this great local business and treated ourselves to chips for tea on Saturday evening.

If you would like some great fish and chips and want to support a local business do try and drop into Horsell Fish and Chips in the next week.

Green Gunge Going ...

Canal covered in green gunge

After many months of the Basingstoke Canal being covered in green gunge it is finally being cleared.

Since last summer the canal has been covered in a green carpet.  I highlighted the issues in a Council meeting last year, asking Woking Council to write to the Basingstoke Canal Authority to get clearing work done.

Some of the weed required a new weedcutter as the small size of the weed meant it was not picked up by usual equipment.

Post-storm work on the canal, picking up many fallen trees, delayed the clearing of the gunge but staff and volunteers are now hard at work clearing the canal.

Gunge free canal

In discussion with the canal authority I learnt that there are two types of weed afflicting the canal.  The good news is that neither type is damaging to wildlife.

Lesser duckweed does not generally affect animals or the plant life of the canal. However oxygen levels for fish can be affected if there is a large quantity of this weed.

Floating pennywort is a fast growing plant. It can grow by 20cm a day.  The new weedcutter is now tackling this plant. Floating pennywort is particularly difficult to control because it can re-grown from the tiniest fragment.  The canal authority is asking boat users to check their weed boxes to help clear out this invasive species.

Some of the area of the canal between Sheerwater and St Johns has already been cleared and the rest should soon be cleared.

More on Well Lane Chaos

AND THERE'S MORE

Residents of Well Lane continue to suffer as road resurfacing work drags on.  

Whilst the work is yet to finish it has now been decided to recycle the materials off-site and to resurface the road in sections.  This has meant some of the heavy machinery has been moved off the road.  Some small respite for the embattled residents and businesses.

Part of the road remains closed because of a damaged sewer which Thames Water will be tackling.  Residents have advised there have been issues with this part of the sewer in the past.  The question is why was this not picked up on the site survey carried out before work began?

And of course, even once this is over, residents have yet more disruption to come when new speed humps are installed at a later date.



UPDATE - More Well Lane Chaos

With a road resembling a war zone and news that resurfacing works will run over into next week Well Lane residents were surely already suffering enough.





Unbelievably things got worse when the Easter Holidays were greeted by a triple disaster cocktail of sewage leak, water leak and gas main leak.  

The sewage leak was fixed promptly on Thursday afternoon.  Repairs to the water leak, which cut off water supply to homes, were delayed until the gas main damage was fixed but was restored that evening.

A separate small water leak is still affecting the Well Lane / Gregory Close junction this weekend but worse another sewage leak happened on Saturday afternoon.  Sewage poured down the road and residents suffered a horrible stench.


Well Lane residents have suffered a catalogue of chaos in the last week as contractors have been working to resurface the road.  Poor communication has left residents trapped, they have been disturbed by unauthorised late night work and given a new water fountain courtesy of the contractors.

Residents have very much welcomed the resurfacing, which was much needed on this road, but they did not ask for the chaos the work has caused and are concerned that speed calming measures will not be put back in place immediately during this phase of work.

Residents do not recall receiving notice of the works and a number of residents found their way blocked when they tried to leave homes in Well Lane, Holyoake Avenue and Crescent and Well Close.

Residents were disturbed by work on site that started at 10.30 pm.  One resident called the police thinking that no legitimate work would go on at that time if night and that drain covers were being stolen.  I had to start making phone calls at 11.30pm on a Thursday  evening to get this work stopped.  It took until Friday to confirm that overnight work was not authorised.  Despite this the contractors still tried to work on Friday night and I again had to make late night phone calls to get the work stopped.

Speed humps will not go back as part of the current programme of work as the style of humps used in Well Lane is now outdated.  Surrey has failed to design the scheme for new humps or to do the required consultation with residents.  Contractors will have to return to the road to install speed humps at a later date.

This catalogue of chaos is a failure of communication, a failure of contractor control and a failure in works planning.  To add insult to injury the contractors hit the water main yesterday and treated residents to a spectacular new water fountain.

I have asked the county council how they plan to improve future communications about roadworks, what sanctions will be brought to bear on the contractors who caused serious disruption to residents by working late at night without permission and chaos by hitting a water main; and when the traffic calming will be reinstated.

Road restored at last - but why not do all resurfacing at one time

Lovely new smooth surface at Horsell Moor

I am delighted to report that the access roads to Horsell Moor have finally been resurfaced.  

Both roads were in a dreadful state, totally beyond just having a few potholes filled.  They now have a lovely smooth surface.

This is a great improvement on the situation a few weeks ago when the road was just a mass of water filled potholes.

Dreadful potholed surface

The 'before' picture shows the state the road had been in for more than a year. 

What I struggle to understand is why the whole road could not be resurfaced at one time.

Horsell Moor from the Cricket Club to Arthur's Bridge, including the entry road between the club and the children's playground was resurfaced more than a year ago.

Residents were very angry about this work as they were asked to move their vehicles off the road and then found the main part of the road was not resurfaced.

The other two entry paths are now done but the main part of the road is not scheduled for work until next year.

i just can't understand why Surrey take this piecemeal approach to road repairs. 

Living Planet Centre to be third Horsell design winner?

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has shortlisted the new WWF HQ, the Living Planet Centre (also known as Rufford House), for a design award.  The Living Planet Centre was designed by Hopkins architects.  The offices for the charity, which include education facilities and a visitor area were opened by Sir David Attenborough in November 2013.

A win for the Living Planet Centre would mean a third RIBA award winner in Horsell.  

The McLaren headquarters on Chertsey Road, designed by Foster and Partners, won the prize in 2005.

   
The Lightbox, designed by Marks Barfield, who were also responsible for the London Eye, was a winner in 2008.

Horsell SPLASH

Flooding on Brewery Road

Not the television programme featuring an Olympic medal winner and a Tory MP (how do they find time for this sort of thing?) but the experience many of us have had on Brewery Road in recent years.

Since 2012 an area between the entrance to Brewery Road car park and the entrance to Kingswood Court has flooded after heavy or persistent rain.  As we have had a lot of both in the last few months there has been a lot of splashing.

I have been on at the County Council to fix this flooding for almost two years.  There is a summary of some of my earlier efforts here.

Not only does the flooding cover the road and lead to pedestrians and cyclists getting splashed it is also over a pedestrian crossing.  

The county’s minor works team spent 3 days trying to resolve the problem last year.  They gave up as it was beyond their scope and passed the issue to the county council’s “wet spots” team.  It is yet to make to the top of their action list, and can only have fallen further down that list with recent flooding across the county.

Horsell Splash

I am told the issue is that the water has nowhere to go.  Something is stopping it from running away.  I don’t doubt that this is part of the problem but this flooding has only occurred since the road was resurfaced.  

The area between the car park entrance and Kingswood Court is the worst affected by the flooding but there are other sections along the road that now have puddles, where they never existed before – take a look by the bus stop.

The road by the
bus stop

The county has promised to put up some flood warning signs to slow down drivers and hopefully save pedestrians and cyclists from getting soaked.

I am continuing to press for a proper solution that removes the water and ends the Horsell Splash.

Some Small Successes in Horsell

The little successes that make a difference are one of the nice parts of being a local councillor.

I'm pleased to be able to report success on getting two huge potholes on critical routes through Horsell filled in the last few weeks.

The huge pothole was on the
 narrow part of Church Hill

Church Hill

The first pothole appeared just after Christmas on Church Hill.  Locals will know this is a narrow two way road, constrained by a wall on one side.  The narrow lanes mean it is a bit hairy when you are driving and meet a bus coming the other way.  On a bike you hope any vehicle behind you will wait or that it will be clear coming the other way so they can overtake.

Imagine my horror when I saw a  pothole had opened up on the brow of the hill.  This was a danger to drivers who might damage their vehicle by driving into it or damage themselves or their vehicle when avoiding it.  It was also a big danger to anyone on 2 wheels, whether cycle or motorbike.

I reported the pothole at Surrey County Council's online reporting tool , highlighting its dangerous location.  I was pleased to see that at least some barriers were put around the hole - but no lights.  Thankfully within a couple of days the pothole was filled.

A very deep pothole on Brewery Road

Brewery Road

The second pothole appeared a few weeks later, one Friday afternoon, on Brewery Road.  It was actually two potholes, but one was much deeper than the other.  This hole was slightly off the natural driving line, but due to continued, unresolved flooding on this part of the road, was just where most would drive or cycle to avoid a huge puddle.  Initially this pothole was not very deep but looked as though it would quickly worsen.

Pothole filled but how long will it last?

I rang Surrey County Council to report the pothole and stressed this busy route needed warning cones to prevent damage.  Surrey obviously didn't feel the hole was deep enough to warrant this safety measure and next day the pothole was much more severe.

Thankfully the main and subsidiary pothole were filled withing a few days.  The road still dips at this point so I don't know how long the fix will last but the road is safe for the moment.

Early December Review

December was one very busy month.  An endless round of council meetings were squeezed into the time before the Christmas break, there were school events, social events and village events and I was unwell for two short periods.  Looking back the lack of blog updates tell the tale.  I thought I would post some short reviews of December  to get back up to date.  This post covers the early part of December.

Horsell Christmas Fair and Christmas Tree Festival
Sadly illness meant I missed the curtain raiser to the Christmas season, the Horsell Christmas Fair on Friday 6 December.  I was really disappointed not to get along to this great event but pleased to hear it was just as successful as last year.  Thankfully I was able to make it to the accompanying Christmas Tree Festival and do my stint on a stall on the Saturday.  The display of trees was just as fantastic as in previous years and I loved looking around at all the ingenious ideas.

Full Council

On 5 December I took part in the final full council meeting of 2013.  I asked questions about the "green gunge" that has infested the Basingstoke canal since the summer and the possibility that Woking Council, working with the Police and Crime Commissioner will put council staff involved in 'enforcement' into uniform.  The good news on the canal is that the Basingstoke Canal Authority has some new equipment and hopes to clear the gunge, a particular type of duckweed, early in the new year.  It seems there could be plans to put council staff in uniform but nothing will happen until pilot projects elsewhere in Surrey are completed.  I was reasssured that the decision will at least go before the Council's Executive, if not the full Council. 

I was pleased to support a motion from my colleague Cllr Howard which instructed Woking Council to write to Fairoaks Airport requesting that the council be kept updated on the airport's future development plans.   The airport has capacity for many more flights than it currently makes  and its owners made a submission with suggestion for future developments to the recent Airports Commission Long Term Options Review.  This is very long term but it is important our local Council is kept informed about what is planned at this site which has an impact on Horsell and other parts of Woking.

Cllr Howard also proposed at the meeting that Woking Council work more closely with Keep Britain Tidy to keep our town clean.  The portfolio holder seemed a little puzzled by the proposal which seemed to be a logical way to use existing available resource to improve litter and cleanliness in Woking.  What was even more puzzling was that just 4 days later Surrey County Council announced a litter crackdown in partnership with borough councils.  

This is the Council meeting at which cost increases for council services in the coming year are set.  Most start in April but this year the Conservative-run council decided to hike all-day parking charges by £1 to £10, but delayed the increase until October.  I voted against both this increase, which represents as 25% increase in the daily parking charge over 18 months and charges to park at Woking Park.

I supported the council going ahead with joint working on waste collection, which should save a lot of residents money across Surrey, but pointed out that the initial saving to Woking will be just 76p per household in the first year.

New standards for licensed taxis were due in January and the council's Licensing Committee reviewed these plans earlier in 2013.  At the eleventh hour, and as a result of pressure from drivers, concessions were made for drivers resident in Woking and in receipt of certain types of benefit.  This move angered those drivers who had put themselves out of pocket to move to vehicles to meet the new standard.

Plans to re-build Goldwater Lodge, after an arson attack last December, were deferred at this Council meeting but thankfully amended plans were passed a week later by the Executive.

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas ...

Christmas season doesn't begin for me until we are in December.  The Woking town centre Christmas lights switch on in late November is an indicator that the season is on the way but I refuse to get into full Christmas mood until at least the first day of December.


Christmas Tree Festival
In the last few years the new Horsell innovation of a Christmas Tree Festival has provided a great opener to the festive season.  The festival is now in its third year and takes place at St Mary's Church on Church Hill.  This year it is on Friday 6 and Saturday 7 December.  


For a small adult entry fee (children free) you can view and vote on your favourites from a huge number of trees on the Christmas theme.  Past entries have included lego trees, a tree of cakes, a balloon tree, light effects and event a tree featuring a toilet.  The impact is a mass of light and colour spread all around the church.  In addition to the trees there are a range of stalls with art and craft activities.  When you have had enough of all the festival has to offer you can relax with a hot drink and a choice of cakes and biscuits.

Visit the Christmas Tree Festival on Friday from 10am until 8pm and on Saturday.






Horsell Christmas Fair
Last year the Horsell Christmas Fair was revived and it's back for 2013. Running in parallel with the Christmas Tree Festival on Friday 6 December it starts at 4pm.  The Mayor of Woking will be turning on the village's Christmas lights, the shops will be open, there will be a range of stalls along Horsell High Street and hot food and drink on offer.  Father Christmas is also likely to make an appearance. 

The Christmas Fair is totally free of charge but there is plenty on offer if you want to spend money when you arrive.

Will street views of McLaren provide another excuse ...?

The McLaren Technology Centre on Chertsey Road, Horsell is now on Google Street View.  You can go to Google Maps, search for the Centre and drop the little yellow character on to McLaren to walk around the heart of McLaren's F1 operation.

Button and Perez with McLaren 2013 car

The Daily Mirror picked up on this and provided the link to some of the views. The shots include racing cars from Button and Perez's 2013 season models right back to 1966 McLaren cars.

I am a little surprised that McLaren has opened up in this way.  One of the many infamous reasons for not opening a visitor centre (as required by the original planning permission) at the Technology Centre  was due to commercial confidentiality.

I do hope this new spirit of openess will not provide another excuse not to provide a visitor facility either on site or within Woking.

Anybody know the way to Rufford House?

Does anybody in Horsell or Woking know the whereabouts of Rufford House?  Residents have reported encountering delivery drivers looking for Rufford House along Brewery Road.

For me Rufford is a Lancashire town, north of Wigan and east of Southport, where a maternal aunt once lived.

Imagine my surprise when I found out that the new WWF offices on Brewery Road in Horsell, which have always been referred to as ‘The Living Planet Centre’, also bear the name ‘Rufford House’.

I was rather puzzled about this name as I couldn’t see any connection between the northern town and the charity’s Woking offices. 

A little online investigation revealed the existence of the Rufford Foundation.  This charity says that it “provides funding for small nature/biodiversity conservation projects and pilot programmes in developing countries”. 

Further searching uncovered that this foundation gave a substantial donation of £4.8M towards the £20M cost of the new WWF offices in 2012. 

Woking Council’s announcement of entering discussions with WWF also refers to a “significant donation” from the Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation.

What is the Rufford Foundation? 

I have learned that it grew from the merger of the Maurice Laing and Rufford foundations.  The Maurice Laing foundation was set up by Maurice Laing, part of the family that owned the Laing construction company.   The Rufford Foundation was subsequently set up by his son John.  The two foundations merged in 2003.

I still have no idea why the foundation bears the name Rufford but the substantial funding support does explain why the Living Planet Centre has this additional name.

I just hope that WWF will provide either some clearer indication of their office address or better directions to delivery drivers to help put Rufford House on the map.

Brewery Road is open ... come on in

As of last Friday (1 November) Brewery Road car park is open and fully available for public use.

WWF has moved into the offices above but, apart from a few disabled spaces, there are no parking spaces for their staff at Brewery Road.  WWF has bought some season tickets for other car parks in the town centre.

Brewery Road is no longer a totally open air car park but it is all on one level.  Space is a bit tighter than in the old car park (there are also fewer spaces overall) but it is still easier to drive around than a multi-storey car park.

Charges are as for other car parks in Woking town centre. Full car park tariffs here.

An Evening with Vince

My evening with Vince Cable

I was delighted to be one of over 70 Liberal Democrats and guests who welcomed Dr Vince Cable to Woking last Saturday. 

Vince told us about departmental achievements including the growing number of apprentices, the setting up of the Green Investment bank and businesses working in partnership with the government. 

Looking forward Vince told us about seeking to make progress on zero hours contracts and the decline in the real value of the minimum wage.

Vince was dismissive of the green credentials of his Conservative coalition partners saying “Cameron now seems to be turning a rather pale shade of green”.  Vince believes that dropping green energy tariffs, which help to fund energy efficiency measures to those who need help to insulate their homes, would be “short-sighted and foolish”.

After taking a wide range of questions Vince was asked what he would do if he wasn't an MP and he had a range of ways to spend his time including dancing, teaching and spending more time with his wife.

It was great to have Vince Cable with us for the evening to hear about some positive achievements on the economy and the environment of Lib Dems in government.

Have your say on Cycling n Surrey

Surrey County Council is running a consultation on cycling in the county.  The consultation is to set a strategy right through until 2026.  

Full details of the consultation are on Surrey's website here where you can also find out about a cycling debate for Surrey.

The consultation is running until the 1 November and you can feedback your views as either a representative of an organisation or an individual.

A cycling debate for Surrey takes place on Wednesday 23 October at the University of Surrey in Guildford   The event is being run with BBC Surrey and will feature a panel which will include local police, the county council, health bodies, cycle organisations and those who object to cycle events taking place in the county.  If you would like to take part in the event you need to apply for a place by 15 October on this link. You can also submit a question to the panel via this link even if you can't make the event.

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.