Two out of three ain't bad (but it would be nice to do better)

I've been really pleased in the last week to have helped local residents to solve two niggling problems.

Overhanging trees caused problems

The first was an issue of highway trees which overhang a resident's garden.  When I spoke to the resident a few weeks ago they told me they had tried, unsuccessfully, in the past to get Surrey to cut the trees back but they had not received a response from anybody.  I sent the details off to Surrey to see if anything could be done.  I was delighted to hear back last week that the county agrees the trees need to be cut back and the work will be done in the next few months.

Drains flooded on unadopted road

The second issue was flooding drains on an unadopted road.  I find the concept of unadopted roads puzzling. We don't have many in Horsell but they are quite common on newer estates.  In this case it meant that I couldn't ask Surrey to come and clear the drains because they don't cover that piece of road.  I did however get Thames Water to do the job and it was completed last week.

Brewery Road flooding
still not resolved

I also finally got action on a third issue but sadly it was not solved. This is the flooding on Brewery Road which I summarised the saga of last week.  The county team came out and cleared the drains (which has helped to some extent) but were not able to solve all of the flooding.  As I had suspected there is more than one issue here.  The drains was a part of it.  The very helpful man from highways agreed "the camber" of the road may be part of the issue.  This appears to confirm my theory that much of the problem dates from when the road was resurfaced last year.

The issue has now been passed to the "wet spots" team but highways couldn't give me a timescale for when they would be able to tackle the flooding.

So two out of three isn't bad but it would be nice to do better and get the third resolved as well.

Goldsworth Community Event Had a Big Pull

Community Event at Goldsworth Had a Big Pull

Spent a lovely few hours this afternoon at the Goldsworth Park Big Pull.  This fantastic community event was organised by the Goldsworth Police Team and supported by Goldsworth Park Community Assocation, Surrey Fire and Rescue, Woking Council and Waitrose.

The centre-piece of the event was a competition to pull a police van around Goldsworth Park lake.  The Waitrose team triumphed with Woking Council staff the runners up.  The much fancied firefighters team came in last (but were two men down on the day).

It was great to see all the Lib Dem councillors for Goldsworth and Horsell taking part in the day, including Amanda and Denzil Coulson with their new baby daughter, Bryan Cross, Ian Eastwood on the GPCA stall and yours truly of course.

Children were well catered for with a bouncy castle, inflatable slide, obstacle course, drawing and visits from Peppa Pig and and elephant.  The police offered the opportunity to sit on a police bike and to create a bookmark with your own fingerprint.

Adults could pick up safety tips on burglary prevention, avoiding fire and getting bicycles security marked.

There was an ice-cream van, cakes from Waitrose and burgers and sausages on sale.

The sunny weather added to the occasion and everyone appeared to have a wonderful time.

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

Good news for heritage in Woking

There was good news for heritage in Woking when Woking Palace recently secured Heritage Lottery Funding  The £306,000 achieved will allow for extra digs at the site in Old Woking, an exhbition at the Lightbox and educational work.

I have enjoyed taking part in two digs at the Palace which has connections to both Henry VII and VIII and Lady Margaret Beaufort (mother of Henry VII)  On my day at last year's dig I was pleased to see some young people visiting and to hear that local schools had been invited to take part in the dig.  Bringing history, especially local history to life in this way adds so much to classroom work.

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.