acorns and oak leaves

News from Ockham Parish Council October 2024

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  • The ongoing action regarding the Planning Inspector’s decision for the Former Wisley Airfield is ongoing and there will be an Oral Hearing on 5th December. This will be a short hearing of approx 2 hours held at the Royal Courts of Justice/the Old Bailey in the Strand, Westminster, WC2A 2LL.

    The community are welcome to attend in person, although no one will be able to give evidence or speak. The time of the hearing will be published in the Cause List the day before the hearing (available on line from 2.30pm that day). Daily Cause List: http://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/court-lists/list-rcj
    If you plan to attend please contact our clerk – email as below.

  • Wisley Action Group continue to fund raise to meet the legal costs relating to the above. Please donate generously if you can. Account: WISLEY AIRFIELD ACTION GROUP Sort Code: 20 35 35 Account number: 10574287
    Thank you to everyone who has already donated.
  • The Annual Remembrance Sunday service will be held at the War Memorial at 10.30 am on Sunday 10th November. All are welcome to attend. Let’s hope for fine weather!
  • We continue to seek volunteers to join our Speed Watch group. If you feel you can give up a short amount of time now and then to participate, please contact Rebecca.neish@ockhamparishcouncil.gov.uk for further details.
  • OPC have been invited to participate in a meeting about the Public Rights of Way later this month. Please ensure you report any concerns you have on the SCC website https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/culture-and- leisure/countryside/management/footpaths-byways-and-bridleways/report-a- problem https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/culture-and-leisure/countryside/management/footpaths-byways-and-bridleways/report-a-problemand then make a note of the case number and forward it with brief details to imogen.jamieson@ockhamparishcouncil.gov.uk who will raise it at the meeting.
  • For updated information about burial charges at All Saints’ Ockham please refer to our website https://ockhamparishcouncil.gov.uk

    Please contact our Parish Clerk with enquiries: clerk@ockhamparishcouncil.gov.uk

acorns and oak leaves

News from Ockham Parish Council September 2024

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  • Traffic issues in Ockham continue to dominate with speeding vehicles ignoring the prescribed diversion routes and restrictions and using our local roads to avoid the National Highways generated delays. A local resident has generously stepped in and offered their help as we work to try and garner support from National Highways, the Police, our new MP, SCC and others. We have suggested that the resident sets up a petition to focus the statutory agencies on addressing the issues. If you are willing to help with this please let us know via our clerk: clerk@ockhamparishcouncil.gov.uk .We hope that all residents will sign the petition and support this campaign. We want to keep our local roads safe. Do remember that you can contact NH with your direct queries by emailing them on m25j10@nationalhighways.co.uk
  • Wisley Action Group continue to fund raise to meet the costs of the S.288 Review of the Planning Inspector’s decision to allow the Taylor Wimpey application for FWA. Legal action is expensive, please continue to spread the word and donate generously if you can. Account: WISLEY AIRFIELD ACTION GROUP Sort Code: 20 35 35 Account number: 10574287

    Thank you to everyone who has already donated.

  • The next 8 Parishes Flood Forum will take place on Friday 20th September from 10 – 12 noon at East Horsley Village Hall. This is a public meeting so all are welcome to attend and observe. We will be discussing local flooding issues with the statutory bodies, such as SCC, in attendance.
  • Although the S.288 Review of the Planning Inspector’s decision to allow the TW application for FWA is pending, GBC advise that they are nevertheless obliged to seek to deliver the scheme. Consequently, Design Code meetings are currently taking place and we attended a meeting organised by GBC on Monday 9th September. We repeatedly asked about consultation with the local community as we believe this is critical. We would like to set up a working group to consider any information shared with us as part of local consultation. Are you interested? Could you help please? We feel it is important to be involved in all discussion and share local views. If you would like to join our working group, please email clerk@ockhamparishcouncil.gov.uk

    Please contact our Parish Clerk with enquiries: clerk@ockhamparishcouncil.gov.uk

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News from Ockham Parish Council July 2024

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  • Wisley Action Group continue to fund raise to meet the costs of the S.288 Review of the Planning Inspector’s decision to allow the Taylor Wimpey application for FWA. Legal action is expensive, please continue to spread the word and donate generously if you can. Account: WISLEY AIRFIELD ACTION GROUP Sort Code: 20 35 35 Account number: 10574287

    Thank you to everyone who has already donated.

  • Do remember that the M25 J10 J11 is closed in both directions from 9 pm on Friday 12th July to 6 am on Monday 15th July. Local roads will be busier as a result.
  • National Highways attended our July Parish Council meeting. We were given an overview of the project as a whole by Jonathan Wade, the project manager for the scheme, who reiterated that the bulk of the work is still due to be completed in summer 2025. We stressed our concern about the many local issues relating to the NH works but particularly the huge number of vehicles displaced by the roadworks and therefore using Ockham Road North, Ockham Lane and Old Lane. We asked NH for their suggestions to reduce the volume of traffic diverting on our local Ockham roads. This matter has been raised at various times before but recently in person on 18th June, in writing on 21st June and again at the PC meeting on 9th July. It was disappointing that we were told by Mr Wade that it was not a priority although he did promise to think about it. We will keep pressing forward on this.

    Do remember that you can contact NH with your direct queries by emailing them on m25j10@nationalhighways.co.uk

  • For your forward planning, NH have told us: the B2039 Ockham Road North is planned to be closed to all northbound traffic at its junction with the Ockham Park Roundabout. The closure is for Affinity water main works and to alter the approach to the roundabout, and will extend over a distance of about 1⁄3 km. This closure is planned to come into effect on 22nd July and remain in place for 9 weeks until 20th September. It will be possible to leave Ockham Park Roundabout heading south towards Ockham and Horsley but not travel in the opposite direction.

    The Parish Council don’t hold a regular monthly meeting during August although as ever, we will be continuing behind the scenes. We hope for happy summer weeks ahead for all.

Please contact our Parish Clerk with enquiries: clerk@ockhamparishcouncil.gov.uk

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News from Ockham Parish Council June 2024

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ONGOING FUND RAISING FOR WISLEY ACTION GROUP PLEASE HELP

Account: WISLEY AIRFIELD ACTION GROUP

Sort Code: 20 35 35

Account number: 10574287

You will all be aware that the Planning Inspector shared her decision regarding the Appeal against Non Determination of Taylor Wimpey’s Planning Application 22/P/01175 for Former Wisley Airfield a couple of weeks ago.

The decision was received with huge dismay by the community who have battled long and tirelessly to prevent the construction of a huge development in this unsustainable location where the infrastructure (schools, medical provision, roads, sewage) is inadequate and great harm could be sustained by the ecology both on the site (skylarks, badgers, bats and other species) and to the Thames Basin Heath Special Protection Area that lies adjacent to the site.  Suffice to say we were disappointed by the decision as we know we presented a very strong case at the Inquiry

Like us, the experts who acted for WAG/OPC/RHS in Air Quality, Transport and Ecology have read through the decision document very carefully.  Multiple points of concern have been identified. We are currently waiting to hear back from the Barrister with his thoughts on the decision.

The Inquiry has been expensive and we are continuing to raise funds to meet the obligations that arose from the process.  Please help if you can.  If you attended the VAWNT/WAG presentation at East Horsley Village Hall on Monday 10th June you will know that every household in the area has been asked to donate £100 and for everyone to share the word widely to reach everyone in the area.  By spreading the financial shortfall between every community who will be harmed from the development, we hope we can get the bills settled.

If further action is to be taken – and we are waiting for advice from the Barrister about the potential of taking the decision to a Judicial Review – we will need substantial funds to move forward.   Please help with a donation to the Wisley Airfield Action Group (WAG) if you can.

Please contact our Parish Clerk with enquiries: clerk@ockhamparishcouncil.gov.uk

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News from Ockham Parish Council May 2024

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  • Councillors were delighted by the number of residents able to attend our Ockham Parish Council Annual Meeting earlier this week. Not only did Chair, Malcolm Aish, give attendees an interesting overview of the Parish Council activity over the last year but Clare Bevan CBE unveiled our plaque for the Queens Canopy and local celebrity Tony Edwards entertained us all with anecdotes and stories from Fleet Street. A great time was had by all with good chat and plenty of wine! The Minutes of this meeting will shortly be on our website in the usual way https://ockhamparishcouncil.gov.uk/

  • Many of you will have received a letter or email from Guildford Borough Council relating to the Hallam Land application (23/P/00417). The Parish Council are going through the new information and we will shortly share our response to this latest consultation. The deadline for submission of a representation is 5th June so do keep an eye out for our email which will come in the usual way via OHRA.

 

 

  •  SCC have been out in Ockham recently and although potholes and crumbling road surfaces remain across our network of country lanes. SCC have been jetting some of the gullies and we very much hope that potholes will be filled and some roads resurfaced if we keep pushing forward with our complaints. Please continue to report problems. We are told that the more complaints received, the more priority given to a problem. Seriously large or dangerous Potholes: If you think the issue is an immediate risk to public safety please call SCC anytime, day or night on: 0300 200 1003. If you are calling outside of normal business hours, please hold for option 3 (for Roads and Transport) followed by option 2 (for Highway and traffic signal emergencies). Potholes and all other Highway Issues: https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/roads-and- transport/roadworks-and-maintenance/report-a-highway-problem 

 

  •  The bat box and nesting boxes are now in situ at our Memorial Garden on Ockham Lane. We hope they will encourage wildlife and increase biodiversity. Thanks to Cllr Sonjia Moran for organising these.

 

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News from Ockham Parish Council April 2024

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Please join us for wine and chat at the Ockham Parish Council Annual Meeting on Tuesday 14th May at 8pm at Ockham Cricket Club. We will have a guest speaker and the Queens Canopy planted a couple of years ago will have its plaque unveiled.

Do join us and encourage your neighbours to attend too. This is a good opportunity to chat to councillors and neighbours about all Ockham matters. 

 

  • We have a bat box and some nesting boxes going up soon at our Memorial Garden on Ockham Lane. These are being made locally and we hope they will encourage wildlife and increase biodiversity.  Thanks to Cllr Sonjia Moran for organising these.

 

 

 

  • Potholes and crumbling road surfaces are a reoccurring issue in Surrey and we feel we have our fair share (and more!) in Ockham. Please continue to report problems. We are told that the more complaints received, the higher this pushes the issue up the list for attention:

Seriously large or dangerous Potholes: If you think the issue is an immediate risk to public safety please call SCC anytime, day or night on: 0300 200 1003 If you are calling outside of normal business hours, please hold for option 3 (for Roads and Transport) followed by option 2 (for Highway and traffic signal emergencies).

Potholes and all other Highway Issues: https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/roadworks-and-maintenance/report-a-highway-problem

 

 

Please contact our Parish Clerk with enquiries: clerk@ockhamparishcouncil.gov.uk

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News from Ockham Parish Council March 2024

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  • Guildford Borough Council announced last month that they will be reviewing the Local Plan.  This is a statutory obligation and we hope that the Lib Dems who lead the council will be bold enough to make positive changes. This northern part of the borough has already been massively overdeveloped since the adoption of the Local Plan in 2019 and infrastructure is struggling. More homes will lead to even greater strain on roads and for local services including medical, education, foul water capacity. Please see this link for further details from GBC  https://www.guildford.gov.uk/localplan

 

  • We are looking for some volunteers to help us tidy our memorial garden behind the War Memorial. It is not heavy work and is suitable for volunteers of all ages so do let us know if you might be free for an hour or so via clerk@ockhamparishcouncil.gov.uk  

 

If you are able to join the small local teams for HGV Watch and / or Speed Watch, please let us know. You would be very welcome and the more people involved, the more reports we can make to SCC and the police.

 

  • The flooded lanes, potholes and crumbling road surfaces all continue to cause problems. We are in daily (often several times a day!) contact with SCC highways on these issues. We are being well supported on this by OHRA and our SCC Cllr Booth who is aware of how bad the roads have become and is also regularly chasing SCC on our behalf.

Please keep reporting the issues as we know that volume of complaints helps gain attention.

Seriously large or dangerous Potholes: If you think the issue is an immediate risk to public safety please call SCC anytime, day or night on: 0300 200 1003 If you are calling outside of normal business hours, please hold for option 3 (for Roads and Transport) followed by option 2 (for Highway and traffic signal emergencies).

Potholes and all other Highway Issues: https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/roadworks-and-maintenance/report-a-highway-problem

 

  • Jonathan Wade the Project Lead from National Highways was invited to our March PC meeting but declined our invitation. This was disappointing particularly when considered alongside the M25 closure this weekend. We have repeatedly asked NH to liaise with us about the inevitable use of the local road network as a result of the M25 closure and regrettably, they have ignored our multiple requests. If you do notice excessive traffic and dangerous driving at any time on local roads please do report it to the police (using 999 or 101 depending on the severity of the issue) and if you are able to obtain a reference number for your report, please let us know. You may also want to report issues directly to National Highways m25j10@nationalhighways.co.uk  and we have been advised that Ben Spencer, MP in Runnymede and Weybridge has also said he would be interested to receive reports of delays due to the M25 closure this weekend: spencer.mp@parliament.uk

We will be re-issuing our invitation to Jonathan Wade for our April PC meeting

 

 

Please contact our Parish Clerk with enquiries: clerk@ockhamparishcouncil.gov.uk

acorns and oak leaves

News from Ockham Parish Council February 2024

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  • The A3 is fully closed between Send and M25 roundabout from 9 pm on Friday 23rd February to 6 am on Monday 26th. Ockham is not on the official diversion route and as we had a huge number of vehicles cutting through via Ockham Lane during the October 2023 closure, we have asked the Police and SCC to ensure that this does not happen again. To date, we have had no response to our request for a ‘road closure, residents access only’ for Ockham Lane but we will keep pushing on this. If you do notice excessive traffic and dangerous driving at any time please do report it to the police (using 999 or 101 depending on the severity of the issue) and if you are able to obtain a reference number for your report, please let us know.

 

 

  • SCC are also consulting with Parish Councils about Public Rights of Way (footpaths, bridleways, Byways etc). If you notice a problem on a PRoW such as overgrown vegetation, a broken stile etc, do report it by emailing the SCC Countryside team on countryside.estate@surreycc.gov.uk

 

  • Once again, we remind you to please contact SCC about the condition of our local roads. Old Lane in particular is in an appalling state and we are pushing hard to get some attention from SCC to address the issues there. Please help us by reporting flood issues, potholes, crumbling edges etc to SCC using the following links (evidence in the form of photographs and/or dash cam video is useful if you have it but even if you don’t, please report regardless as we know that the volume of complaints helps to push the issue up SCCs very long list of areas needing attention!).

Seriously large or dangerous Potholes: If you think the issue is an immediate risk to public safety please call SCC anytime, day or night on: 0300 200 1003 If you are calling outside of normal business hours, please hold for option 3 (for Roads and Transport) followed by option 2 (for Highway and traffic signal emergencies).

Potholes and all other Highway Issues: https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/roadworks-and-maintenance/report-a-highway-problem

 

  • The Inquiry for the FWA has now ended with a decision expected in the April. WAG continue to fund raise to pay for all the professional expert help received. A significant shortfall remains so if you are able to donate, it would be very much appreciated. All donations of any amount, help enormously. Account name: Wisley Airfield Action Group, sort code: 20 35 35, account number: 10574287 (or by cheque delivered to Helen Jefferies, Alms Heath Cottage). Very many thanks for all donations to date.

 

The Ockham Parish Council AGM will be held on Tuesday 14th May this year. We will have a guest speaker and drinks will be served. All residents welcome! Venue to be confirmed. Please mark the date in your diary.

 

 

Please contact our Parish Clerk with enquiries: clerk@ockhamparishcouncil.gov.uk

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News from Ockham Parish Council January 2024

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  • The Inquiry for the FWA has now ended with a decision from the Inspector expected in the Spring. We are still fundraising to pay for all the professional expert help received. A significant shortfall remains so if you are able to donate, it would be very much appreciated. All donations of any amount, from a few pounds upwards all help enormously. Account name: Wisley Airfield Action Group, sort code: 20 35 35, account number: 10574287 (or by cheque delivered to Helen Jefferies, Alms Heath Cottage). Very many thanks for all donations to date.

 

  • The Ockham Speed Watch group are doing a tremendous job and we are keen to encourage other residents to participate. If you can find a free hour or so monthly and are interested in joining the team please contact clerk@ockhamparishcouncil.gov.uk and Alyson will signpost you to the team leader, Becky.

 

Please contact our Parish Clerk with enquiries: clerk@ockhamparishcouncil.gov.uk

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News from Ockham Parish Council December 2023

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  • The Parish Council have been working with volunteers on speed watch to address speeding concerns in the community to encourage drivers to observe the speed limits on our local roads. Thank you to the volunteers for helping with this initiative and welcome more volunteers to join the team, please contact the clerk@ockhamparishcouncil.gov.uk if able to help.

 

  • The 3 Vehicle Activated Speed signs have been checked and they are now all working. The Parish Council is looking at the speed data and has raised the issue of speeding with the Highways Team at Surrey County Council.

 

  • The Inquiry for the FWA is drawing to a close. We are still fundraising to help pay for all the professional expert help. A shortfall remains so if you were able to donate, it would be very much appreciated. All donations of any amount, from a few pounds upwards all help enormously. Account name: Wisley Airfield Action Group, sort code: 20 35 35, account number: 10574287 (or by cheque delivered to Helen Jefferies, Alms Heath Cottage). Very many thanks for all donations to date.

 

  • There are 2 planning application where the Parish Council encourages the Community to write and state any objections to Guildford Borough Council:https://www.guildford.gov.uk/article/24686/Search-for-information-about-a-planning-application: 1.) Application no: 23/P/01607- Land East and West of Hatch Lane, Ockham GU23 6NU for up to 200 dwellings. This is the third ‘parcel’ of land that makes up Allocation A35 on the FWA. This application relies heavily on the infrastructure delivery for the Taylor Wimpey part of FWA and we have stated to GBC that we believe the application is premature and we encourage you to state this in your objections. ) Application no: 23/P/00417 – Land adjacent to Ockham Lane GU23 6NT for up to 70 new homes. We will circulate pointers for the letters via OHRA/VAWNT very shortly.

 

  • Residents are invited for mulled wine and mince pies to Ockham Cricket Club on 16th December 2023 from 5-7pm, organised by Becky Neish and Chloe Shepherdly. Hope that you will be able to come.

 

  • The Parish Councillors would like to send their Seasonal Wishes to you all for Christmas and the New Year. Dates for the Parish Meetings for 2024 will be published on the OPC website.

 

 

Please contact our Parish Clerk with enquiries: clerk@ockhamparishcouncil.gov.uk