It has happened before and it is happening again. Horsell is under attack and it seems that local residents are paying for it.
The true cost of WWF on Brewery Road Car Park
We have known for several months that Conservative run Woking Council wanted to go ahead with plans to bring WWF to Brewery Road Car Park in Horsell. What has now become clear is the cost of this great ambition. I revealed back in November that the WWF HQ will require a new bridge to cross the canal and connect it to the town. The current bridge across the canal badly needs to be replaced (if only the Council had maintained it properly would that be necesary?). However WBC is looking at spending up to a million pounds on this new bridge and not asking WWF for a penny towards a rather important requirement for their new building.
Last week's News and Mail brought news of even more cost to Woking tax payers. The paper reports that WBC is giving the site away and giving WWF a long rent free period. It would be very nice to have WWF in Woking (on a site in the town centre rather than Horsell) but can an environmental charity with a couple of hundred employees really bring enough economic benefit to our town to justify this huge give away.
Relocation of the Fire Station
The second attack on Horsell relates to plans to move the fire station, currently located in the town centre, to land on Kestrel Way, behind the allotments on Bullbeggars Lane and the Salvation Army. This proposal is at a very early stage. I am totally opposed to this move. It is the wrong location for the fire station. It is wrong for the residents who will be disturbed by this facility so clsoe to their homes and wrong for the residents who will have speeding fire engines tearing down their local roads to get to emergencies. Although fire and rescue services are the responsibility of the County Council, Woking Council is involved and this can only mean more costs for Woking residents.
I have two messages to Woking Council - Leave Horsell Alone and stop wasting our money!
