Tag Archives: Knaphill

Access to a GP

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One issue raised at the recent Village Meeting was that residents are having problems in getting an appointment with their GP at a time convenient to them. The problem is only going to get worse especially when the houses on Brookwood Farm are complete and occupied. Jonathan Lord, our MP, has just sent me an answer to a written question he had submitted to the Department of Health. Below is an extract from this reply.

‘We understand that a recent survey by Healthwatch highlighted Woking is an area where there was a potential issue with booking and arranging appointments which are convenient to patients. Following this, we (Dept. for Health) are advised that Surrey & Sussex Area Team agree to meet with the Health and Adult Social Care Committee and Healthwatch to set up a working group to look at areas which could be improved with regards to access to GP services.’ Department for Health.

The KRA will continue to monitor the situation. We also plan to write to North West Surrey CCG. This is the body responsible for coordinating GP services in our area. We will raise the specific issues facing residents in Knaphill, Brookwood and Bisley.

Knaphill public toilets

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I ran into Phil, Saj and Melanie today (KRA secretary and councillors for those that don;t know) and we got to talking about the public toilets in the High Street just outside Tesco.

Apparently the council would be willing to remove them after a public consultation process had been completed. It got me to wonder how the residents think about the toilets, afterall they’re not exactly the nicest of things this village has to offer but they do provide a service. Are they used, should they stay or should they go? Would their absence be missed and would their removal lead to any problems down the line?

Do look at the poll and maybe leave a comment below or discuss it in the forum area.

[yop_poll id=”16″]

Another Planning Application from Sainsbury’s

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Sainsbury’s of Redding Way, Knaphill has submitted a planning application (PLAN/2014/1017 ) to build a single-storey, standalone, dry-cleaning pod to front (south-east) elevation of superstore.

This further extension if granted, would be operated by Timpson’s and would offer dry-cleaning, shoe repairs, watch repairs, key cutting, engraving and photo processing. There would also be illuminated signage which may be particularly relevant to the residents opposite the store that have already mentioned night time lighting.

Agents for Sainsbury’s in a statement attached to the planning application state that they do not see this new business having an impact on current businesses in Knaphill.

 

View and comment via WBC website – http://www.woking.gov.uk/planning/publicaccess

Should you choose to make a comment on the WBC planning portal, it is useful to back it up with reference to the Core Strategy document – http://www.woking2027.info/corestrategy/adoptedcorestrategy.pdf

Website update

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The keen eyed among you will notice you can’t find anything where it used to be and things just look odd.

There’s a good reason for this – the website was in need of a refresh and a bit of a revamp. Lots of reasons but I won’t bore you with them.

I’ve tried to keep the change in visual impact quite small and so it remains a light theme and a similar layout. Hopefully it’s quite clear visually but if you can’t read something easily then do leave a comment. There’s a news ‘ticker’ at the top of the homepage, this ticks through the latest posts, and the main menu navigation is now simpler. You might also notice it looks different on mobile devices than it does on a desktop pc – it’s intentional I promise!

The front or home page has a changing slider at the top which picks out new posts to rotate through and the rest of the page is divided into sections – Knaphill Community – Planning – Meeting Minutes – Memory Lane – Policing. The order of these is likely to change.

It will evolve over time with a few additional changes and features that will ultimately provide a rich source of Knaphill information. One thing I should point out is that with the change to the front page, the ‘Quicklinks’ have moved. They now appear on EVERY page but at the bottom in the footer.

Of course we always want guest submissions so if you want to get posting just ask away or send something in.

I’d love to see more people using social media within the village (that goes for the businesses too!) so do make use of the sharing buttons you’ll see beneath each page or post (they’re the funny multi-coloured thingies down there). Together we can spread the good word – that Knaphill can be great!!

A322 increased congestion already

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I see complaints regarding the A322 are getting louder already! Even making allowances for the current resurfacing of the road (night closures, raised ironworks etc), people in nearby villages are complaining of re-phased lights (fancy talk for changing the timings for the lights to change) and tailbacks into Bisley and West End.

Suggestion was made that changes have been made to junction traffic lights to restrict flow onto the A322 from adjoining roads up the main A322 which seems daft until you consider that the Brookwood Farm development (in Knaphill) comes with a much-touted brand new (untested?) ‘traffic management system’ which will easily cope with over capacity on the artery road. Perhaps the numbers have been revisited and the only way to make that area work is to make adjustments all along the A322? Maybe this was all part of the masterplan? Who knows?!

I dug this report up from SCC – Congestion Programme report – from 2013. In it, (p63) the A322/A324 junction is identified as a main challenge:

 The main challenges in the borough have been identified as:

  • Congestion in Woking town centre, Maybury, Knaphill and St Johns, and on the A324/A322 at Brookwood crossroads

  • Poor air quality in Knaphill

  • The railway line acts as a barrier to north-south movement in Woking town centre and also separates Maybury and Sheerwater, making it difficult to access the town centre and employment areas in Maybury and Sheerwater.

Clear as day that – the junction is a big problem. The report goes on to announce their proposed approach to solving this problem, which is to develop the Victoria Arch in Woking town centre and to provide improvements to the train station in… Woking town centre!

NOTHING to alleviate the stress on the A322. Oh yes and the funding will come, at least partly, from the CIL or s106 payments from the Brookwood Farm development (in Knaphill).

So as the KRA and numerous others pointed out to WBC, SCC, Highways and pretty much anyone that might be involved, the A322 is over congested and causing back ups and this is before people have even moved in to Brookwood Farm (in Knaphill…) and numerous other developments up the A322 have been built.

What will be done to alleviate the burden on the main road between the A3 and the M3 & M4? A couple of bike tracks. Maybe.

Not for Knaphill though. Despite footing the bill (a stretch I admit but Brookwood Farm developer payments should be spent on Knaphill infrastructure in my opinion) for a major development in the area, having the A322 identified as a major problem AND poor air quality, Knaphill village gets not so much as a pat on the back or an apology for being crapped on so often. Don’t expect any long-term improvement in air quality either. Even if measures are taken immediately to address the order currently issued for the top of Anchor Hill, as soon as people start moving in to Brookwood Farm it’s going to get worse again. Why? Because the exit from Sparvell Road forces traffic through the village due to a no right turn onto the A322 and people won’t want to wait at that Redding Way exit due to back ups.

As you might have picked up on, I am really cross about how Knaphill is repeatedly ignored by councils. The people that live here actually know the area and don’t rely on projections or unproven ‘traffic management’ methods. It wouldn’t hurt to acknowledge this and listen from time to time. If there are reasons for the decisions made that go in the face of popular opinion it wouldn’t hurt to state what they are and be open and honest about it, but I guess that’s just community minded thinking and we couldn’t have that could we.

In short, all the officials appear to know there is a serious issue with congestion on the A322 amongst other. They’re just not going to do anything about it.

 

Knaphill YMCA 1947/48 Where are you now?

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Knaphill YMCA Football team 1947 / 194848A cracker of a mission – where are they now? This is the Knaphill YMCA football team from 1947/1948 having won the Woking & District league. Bernard Warden (Standing in the back row second from the right – “the good looking one”!) has asked if we can help in perhaps tracking some of the members down.
 
If you recognise yourself or others then please do contact Bernard via email – bernard_warden@outlook.com

The bollard question – which side are you on?

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A possible solution to easing the traffic on Knaphill High Street and Anchor Hill is to remove the bollards by The Vyne roundabout and direct more traffic round Redding Way. The single set of bollards currently working creates a dangerous situation with traffic passing in both directions on the open side of the road. The original raison d’etre for this road was to be one of the main routes off the planned bypass and the new houses on Brookwood Farm estate, which did not happen. Late in the debate on Brookwood Farm, it was decided to open Sparvell Road to Brookwood Farm traffic, which has a direct knock-on effect for traffic using Chobham Road, High Street and Anchor Hill.

Currently the only advice from SCC is to cycle, walk or use public transport more. The Government promised improvements to the infrastructure as well as new developments and funds to be made available for such improvements, but neither have yet been forthcoming for Knaphill.

In the past there have been several debates on the pros and cons of the bollards. Given the changed circumstances since they were originally installed, is it time to think again about whether to remove them? Let us have your opinions please, either on our website or by e-mail to the Residents’ Association (secretary@knaphill.org).

[yop_poll id=”15″]

Village Meeting 2014

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We have organised another village meeting for residents to attend and have their direct questions about Knaphill answered by a panel of local representatives.

As with the last meeting in 2013, this will be chaired completely independently of the KRA and we have no say in questions or indeed control of the meeting at all. The Chair will again be the Reverend Richard Sherlock of the Knaphill Baptist Church in the High Street. You can send in questions via questions@knaphill.org (which are forwarded straight to Rev. Sherlock) or direct at revsherlock@gmail.com, please use whichever you’re most comfortable with.

Further details on the previous village meeting, including questions asked and an FAQ can be found on the page here – https://knaphill.org/about-our-association/village-meeting/

Knaphill village meeting 2014

 

New housing, Clifton Court

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Clifton Court is the name of the block of flats above the Tesco store in Knaphill High Street. The flats are owned by Paragon Community Housing and are on a part buy part rent scheme in association with Woking Borough Council. So the flats come under the general heading ‘affordable housing’. I like the description given by Paragon to the location. An opportunity to be part of a village community in a designated conservation area, nestled in the heart of the Surrey countryside. Paragon also state that to be considered you have either to live in Woking or Work in the borough.