Some weeks ago we added an article to our web headed ‘From Hedgerows to Barbed Wire’. The article gave details of changes to the fields that lay between Chobham Road and Kiln Lane. The KRA received quite a bit of feedback following the publication of the article and one point that a number of residents raised was the future of ‘The Mound’. 

The Mound is the raised wooded area that lies between Chobham Road and The Priory. The KRA took the residents concerns seriously and wrote to the Council seeking a higher degree of protection for this area (click on the letter). Since writing to the Council we have taken two of our Councillors for a walk around the areapointing out the problem with the barbed wire and The Mound. We have also invited Woking’s Aboricultural Officer the visit the site with us.  We will keep you posted on any developments. Please continue to provide the KRA with feedback on what you think of the work that has taken place in what some call ‘The Priory fields’ and whether you believe that ‘The Mound’ should be saved.

Surrey County Council have published a list of projects under the heading ‘Travel Smart Delivery- Proposed Programme for Woking 2012/13’. One project is to create bus/cycle interchange with shelter and storage.  The enhanced bus stop will have CCTV, RTPI display, audio bus information, wayfinder information and solar power. The site chosen by SCC for a pilot project is close to the junction of Redding Way at the Vyne Health Centre.

There is no argument with the idea but the KRA question the proposed location. The roundabout at the Vyne Health Centre must be one of the worst for buses as they manoeuvre their way from Redding Way into the Broadway. The corners are so tight two buses cannot pass each other at the junction. There is also a proposed development on the corner of the Broadway at the Vyne, a developer has been granted permission to build 10 houses on the site and there is an application from the Alpha hospital group to build a new unit on the Redding Way with vehicle access via Barton Close. Both these devlopments will add to the traffic flow in that area of the village.

The report from SCC states that the exact location and specification is now being finalised in consultation with key stakeholders. The question is who are the ‘key stakeholders’?  Clearly not the local Councillors as they know no more than what has been published in the report quoted above.  The term ‘key stakeholders’ does not appear to include the residents who live close to the Broadway/Redding Way junction, so who does it include? We are trying to find out.

A related item, as reported elsewhere on the KRA web the extension to Sainsbury’s in Redding Way has now been given the go ahead. One of the conditions imposed on Sainsbury’s is the relocation of the bus stop that sits in the middle of the car park. The conditions require Sainsbury’s to provide a bus shelter incorporating poles, flags and timetable cases; Seating and an area for passengers in wheelchairs to wait; Lighting and CCTV cameras; Real Time Passenger Information (RTPI) shelter display. Sainsbury’s have also to provide additional cycle parking.

The above sounds like a bus/cycle hub, is there a requirement for two such hubs in Knaphill?

Phil Stubbs

Residents nearby the forthcoming demolition work at 15 High Street and the associated property are already highlighting problems with the work.

Workmen have been accessing the site via Fosters Lane which is in contravention of conditions placed on the work. Access to the High Street is blocked while workers vans or trucks are parked which is further exacerbated by the moving of a fence into the roadway. Naturally, the Fosters Lane Residents Association is furious and rightly so – they campaigned long and hard and finally clubbed together to fund a road resurfacing. As they pointed out – it’s not for contractors use!

As the comments come in, they have said –

“…This is only the second day of work on the site and already we are having problems as predicted. Parking is going to be a real issue… “

There are a number of further concerns which relate to the opening hours and just what assurances WBC are willing to give, if any.

Phil Stubbs has also contacted the council –

“This site is in the centre of the village and very close to residential dwellings in Fosters Lane and from day one we have breaches in the conditions that were attached to the  planning decision. This plan has been contentious from day one and we have always said that there would be problems with the demolition and building and then problems with customers parking and deliveries to the store. We believe that it is important that from the start of any work all conditions should be applied in full.”

We will investigate any breaches of conditions that were attached to the planning decision with a view to obtaining a thorough response from WBC.

It was in December last year that the Woking Borough Council’s Planning Committee approved the application from Sainsbury’s to expand their store in Redding Way.  It has taken until late August this year for Sainsbury’s and Woking Council to complete the legal paperwork and for Woking Borough Council to issue their decision notice granting planning permission. The decision notice contains 43 conditions and 19 instructions and it will take time for us to go through the decision notice in detail to check that the points the KRA won during the planning process are contained in the final document.

This application and decision notice is the last in a long struggle by Sainsbury’s to gain permission to extend. Those who have followed the saga will know that the previous application was rejected by Woking Borough Council and was scheduled to be the subject of a public enquiry. That public enquiry was put on hold at the request of Woking Borough Council whilst they worked with Sainsbury’s put together an acceptable package. Sainsbury’s have now withdrawn their objections to previous rejections by Woking Borough Council so there are no grounds for a public enquiry.

Even after the latest proposal was published last October with the Council recommending acceptance the KRA fought hard to have more social and environmental conditions built into the plan. We will update our information once we have studied the full text of the planning decision.

Finally just to remind the readers of the outline plan that has been agreed.

PLAN/2011/0160 Proposed extensions to Sainsbury’s store to south-west and south-east of the existing store, part increase in height of the existing building  by up to 1.9m, alterations to layout and formation of new parking are to north-east of Homebase, enclosure of service yard and altered pedestrian access onto Bagshot Road.

You probably read in last weeks local press that the new owners of the service station at the Brookwood Crossroads (Total garage) had sought a variation to their licence to sell alcohol 24 hours a day, seven days per week and sell hot food and drinks (late night refreshments) 10.00 pm to 05.00 am. The Council Licensing Committee met this morning to consider this application and I am sorry to say the licence was approved. This wasn’t a surprise as there were no objections from either the police or Environmental Services.

The Licensing Committee is very formal and is basically run by lawyers. The garage was represented by a lawyer who made sure that the objections were to specific points to do with the licensing regulations. For example complaints about the disturbance of having the forecourt lights on full 24 hours a day and the additional noise from cars parking on the forecourt during the night were ruled out of order.

We did get two conditions added to the licence and these are that entrance to the shop will be closed to customers between 11.00pm and 06.00am and all sales will be via the nights sales hatch during these hours. This is important because the garage plan to have only one staff member on duty late at night. Hot food sales at night will be limited to prepacked items.

We understand that the petrol station already has permission to sell fuel 24 hours a day, there are no conditions on the original garage. Therefore there is nothing to stop them going ahead with their plans. So much for the protection of such development in a conservation area.

It is important that if you hear complaints from people who live near the petrol station complaining about litter, anti social behaviour or other activities they should contact the police. Figures show that around Knaphill/Brookwood area there are an average of 50 police reports a month of anti social behaviour. Once the petrol station is open 24 hours day I would expect that such behaviour to be concentrated in that area. Residents are encouraged to attend the police forum that is held in Knaphill and for them to air their views.

Phil Stubbs

20/9/12

Fences going up around the cottage, prior to demolition

29/8/12 Work scheduled to start

The pavement outside the old shop has been marked out for the commencement of the demolition and when Phil asked about this at the Civic Centre he was told that work would be starting soon although no date was mentioned.

21/6/12 Full story here

20/6/12 Shafted again.

Bad news folks – Sainsbury’s have WON their appeal and the store destined for 15 High St has been granted opening hours from 07.00am to 10.00pm Monday to Saturday and 0800am to 10.00pm on Sundays. The Inspector also over ruled the Highways decision to ban customers parking behind the store. In her report the Inspector stated that she says that if customers are not allowed to park behind the store then they will park on the road and this would potentially be a road safety risk.

As is becomming par for the course, WBC could be seen to have let the village down – they supported the original condition 7 (opening hours) and failed to lodge an objection from their environmental officer.

24/4/12

We haven’t reported much on the Sainsbury’s front for a while so if you’re wondering why, it’s quite simple – there hasn’t been too much to report! We CAN however, say that the appeal is still underway and that the Planning Inspector is scheduled for a site visit during the first week of May…

3/2/12

Many people will think that this issue was resolved last year when Woking’s Planning Committee approved a trial for a variation to the opening times for the proposed Sainsbury’s shop on the site of Clifton’s Lawnmower shop and the bungalow at 6 Fosters Lane. At the turn of the year we in the KRA started to get concerned as the final decision notice had not been published and there were rumours that Sainsbury’s were to appeal.

Our concerns were well founded, we received a letter from Woking Borough Council dated 26 January stating that Commercial Development projects Ltd (whoever they are) have lodged an appeal on the grounds that Woking Borough Council has not determined the application within the requisite period. Not sure what that means as WBC has failed to place any additional papers on their web site.

All those who wrote into the Council when the application was first up for consideration should have received the letter dated 26 January. The letter also contained details how residents can write to the Planning Inspector with their views on the appeal.

Remember what the Development Company are seeking on behalf of Sainsbury’s, it is the right to open their shop from 07.00am to 10.00pm Mondays to Saturdays inclusive and 08.00am to 08.00pm Sundays and Bank Holidays. What the Planning Committee had offered was for the above times to be operated for a trial period of 12 months from when the shop opened.

It must be remembered that this new shop will not have any parking for customers and there are residential properties on two sides of the site.

If you want more details, when they become available, you can either go to Woking Borough Web site, their reference number is 12/00002/PLNCON or go to www.planningportal.gov.uk/pcs, find appeals search and the ref number is APP/A3655/A/11/2167625/NWF. The planning portal will also give details on how you can contact the Planning Inspector. Failing either of the above please feel free to come back to the KRA for more information.

Even if you didn’t write to WBC when the initial application was being considered you can still write to the Planning Inspector.

Small update 25/8/12

After asking a few questions, we have been informed that there will be no change at the start of the new term and that Fran will still be able to use here lollipop! Obviously we don’t have all the details but this is a peculiar situation with little in the way of consultation having taken place.

The county councillors have also been contacted and asked:

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Residents are shocked and concerned for the future safety of their children by a sudden move by Surrey County Council. David Faulkner has been in touch to make everyone aware of just how much upset this will cause.

Fran Hall, long time lollipop lady at the Garibaldi traffic lights junction is be releived of her lollipop and instructed not to venture into the road with the children. David sent us this article –

On our children’s first day at Knaphill School, the lollipop lady asked them their names. We introduced ourselves, too.

“And what’s your name?” we enquired.

“I’m Fran,” she said.

So we were to join the thousands (no exaggeration) of Knaphillians who have been escorted across the Garibaldi junction at school time. We were to learn, like all our predecessors, that Fran would know the names of every child who crossed there, and address them all personally as they did so.

Fran Hall is a Knaphill institution. There are parents who bring their children to school whom Fran escorted and protected when they were children. When someone in the village dies, Fran can recount their children’s names.

So why would the county council now tell her that from September she can no longer use her ‘lollipop’ and only press the button? Even when the green man shows, she will not be allowed to step into the road, because she will not be insured if a car hits her.

I can’t avoid thinking that this is the thin end of the wedge. The traffic lights have been at the junction of the High Street and Chobham Road for sixteen years. When they were put in, Fran’s position was reviewed. She was deemed too valuable to be made redundant.

I can’t see that anything has changed, except the possibility that Fran may be being lined up as the next victim of spending cuts.

What has changed is increased traffic. And what doesn’t change is the number of motorists who jump the red. Just installing an infra-red sensor won’t alter that.

Along with many other parents, I am therefore concerned that the safety of our children is under question if the school crossing patrol is either withdrawn or her powers reduced.

What can we do? Some of us have started a campaign. You can go to two places for the information.

Go to our website, Fran Fans, for campaign details and articles. And join our Facebook page for updates.

Remember: keeping Fran means keeping our children safe.

Questions have immediately been raised as to why this has happened at this time when the traffic lights have been in operation for many years. So what is going on at SCC and why has this happened? As David mentions on the campaign website – contact the councillors and SCC to get the answers and hopefully have the lollipop back in action.

There is an important piece of green belt that separates urban Knaphill from Bisley and a favourite walk for local people. Over the past few weeks the landscape in this part of Knaphill has gone through major change, change that in our opinion has destroyed the pleasing landscape. Although all the land is privately owned it has been enjoyed by generations of families from both Knaphill and Bisley and now their access has been limited and the views destroyed. Iain Wakeford, local historian published a guide entitled ‘KNAPHILL, A SELF-GUIDED HERITAGE WALK’ This walk takes in footpath 11 which joins Chobham Road with Kiln Lane. The following is a quote from Iain’s book:

‘Cross Chobham Road at the junction with Warbury Lane and walk along the lane to the point where it becomes a one-way road. On your left, beside the entrance to Ringstone Farm, is a footpath. Take this path, up the hill, until you see a stile on your right. Cross the stile (or walk around the side, by the tree) and enter the filed. Walk along the side of the field with the hedge on your right, until you reach the bottom corner where you find one of the worst stiles on the walk! It might not look too difficult from this angle, but wait until you try to get down the other side! Continue along the path at the bottom of the field until you reach the gate and stile that takes you into Kiln Lane.’

This section of the walk can also be started at the Priory Hospital where if you walk down the main drive the footpath is on your right at the rear of the main building. The footpath between the Priory Hospital and Warbury Lane had tall hedges either side which met over your head giving the image, in the summer, of walking through a green tunnel. The section from the Priory to the footpath into the field has seen that green tunnel destroyed. On crossing the stile into the first field (behind Ringstone Farm) you can only walk in a straight line along the official footpath. The two fields through which footpath 11 goes have had their hedgerows removed and a number of mature trees felled. The two field have been opened up into one large field and the hedgerows replaced by barbed wire fencing.

We accept that the land is privately owned and was/is agricultural land but surely the owner should have some respect for the landscape and beauty of this part of the green belt brings to the area. There is legislation to protect hedgerows but officials argue that the hedgerows are not of sufficient importance to be protected. One important point argued by Council Officials is that the hedgerow has to have been in place for at least thirty years to be considered as being important. We do know that the tenant sought permission to fence in the public footpath and that this was granted but did he have to remove so much plant life from around the whole site? The whole site being the four fields that go around three sides of The Priory. Footpath 11 comes to an end at Kiln Lane, an historic route for people walking to and from Bisley Church. If you walk down Kin Lane towards Bagshot Road you will find the hedgerow on your left as been replaced by a mound of earth.

Woking Borough Council, especially the Ward Councillors, have shown little interest in the destruction of so many mature tree and yards of hedgerow, this on its own is disappointing. The damage has been done and it is down to Council officials to decide if the landowner has operated within the law or not. What is important is that the trees and hedgerows left are protected especially areas like ‘The Mound’ and Hangmoor Copse.