Archive for category: News

There are several important dates coming up as follows:

National Day of Action 10 am on Friday 17^th April.  Ockham Community Coffee group will be planting a small Ockham grown tree in the car park at All Saints’ Ockham as part of the National Day of Action.  Please come along and join us to support this national campaign to help protect nature, and preserve green spaces and the countryside.  Many thanks to Clare Bevan for providing the tree and to Lady Griffiths for allowing Ockham Community Coffee to plant the tree on her land. Coffee will follow at All Saints’ immediately after the tree is planted at 10 am.

National Highways information event.  Thursday 29^th April. Time tbc.Representatives from National Highways will be hosting an information event about their plans for traffic mitigation in Ripley.  This is an opportunity to ask questions and understand the plans proposed. We understand that the proposal is not for the average speed cameras that Ripley Parish Council feel would be the most sensible approach to the significant amount of traffic that flows through their village.

Local Elections. Thursday 7^th May.  Make your voice heard by voting in the local elections. West Surrey Councillor elections will take place on 7th May 2026, with the new Councillors operating in “shadow” form until they formally assume powers in April 2027. For more information about the elections click here.

OPC Annual General Meeting:  Tuesday 12th May at 8pm at All Saints’ Ockham. We will be joined by a guest speaker from Surrey Wildlife Trust, who will talk about the management of common land. Do come along — enjoy a glass of wine, chat with councillors, and hear from Matthew Cornwell. It promises to be a very enjoyable evening.

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

We are pleased to welcome Euan Harkness as our new Parish Councillor, and look forward to working with him in serving the community.

The Memorial Garden works are now complete. Cutting back the tree canopy has opened up the site and, combined with new hedging, will help encourage greater biodiversity. Many thanks to SCC Councillor Dennis Booth for arranging the grant that made this possible.

The pavement works near the War Memorial will, all being well, begin next month. The pavement on Ockham Lane, which currently stops abruptly as you approach the Memorial, will be extended for safer pedestrian use — again, thanks to Councillor Booth for facilitating this.

In other good news, Old Lane will be resurfaced from the Black Swan to Elm Lane during 2026/27, following completion of the National Highways work. Thanks to Frances Porter and Dennis for their persistence in keeping this on the SCC works schedule.

Finally, please note in your diary: our Annual General Meeting is on Tuesday 12th May at 8pm. We will be joined by a guest speaker from Surrey Wildlife Trust, who will talk about the management of common land. Do come along — enjoy a glass of wine, chat with councillors, and hear from Matthew Cornwell. It promises to be a very enjoyable evening.

We wish you all a very happy Easter.

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

Update re Surrey Local Government Changes

As you know, Surrey is moving from the current two-tier system (county council plus 11 district/borough councils) to two new unitary authorities. From April 2027, Ockham will fall into West Surrey Council who will take over responsibility for all local services, including planning, waste, highways, and social care.  West Surrey Councillor elections will take place in May 2026, with the new Councillors operating in “shadow” form until they formally assume powers in April 2027. Further information to follow as we receive it.

Thank You, Cllr Chloe Shepherdly

Our sincere thanks to Councillor Chloe Shepherdly for her contribution to OPC in recent years.

Following her resignation, we will shortly begin the process of seeking a new parish councillor.

Flood Forum – Friday 6th March

The next Eastern Villages Flood Forum will be held on Friday 6th March.

We have identified several problem areas in Ockham to raise with local authorities. If you have any locations of concern, please let us know: imogen.jamieson@ockhamparishcouncil.gov.uk

Memorial Garden Works

Tree work has been completed and new hedging in the Memorial Garden is underway and should be completed within the next couple of weeks. We hope that the work will enhance biodiversity on this site.  Our grateful thanks to SCC Cllr Dennis Booth for arranging the grant that has made this work possible.

OPC AGM – 12th May

The OPC AGM will take place on 12^th May (venue to be confirmed). A guest speaker will attend, and all residents are warmly invited to attend. Please hold the date — more details to follow.

Ockham Community Coffee Tree Planting – 17th April

As part of the Community Planning Alliance National Day of Action, Ockham Community Coffee group hope to plant a tree at All Saints’ Ockham on Friday 17th April. Please note the date if you would like to support this national campaign to help protect nature, and preserve green spaces and the countryside.

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

Traveller Site Application at Alms Heath – Parish Council Objection:

We have formally objected to the application for the field off Alms Heath (25/P/01459).

If you are concerned about this application and wish to add your voice, please submit your objection directly to Guildford Borough Council before Christmas. The more voices that are heard, the stronger our case will be.  If you would like to see the OPC objection, please look out for it circulated by OHRA, contact us via our clerk or check the GBC Planning Portal. If you are writing an objection, please keep it focused on planning matters, and use your own words to explain using planning policy to support the points if you can.

Naming Strategy for FWA

Taylor Wimpey have held two recent meetings, open to all, to discuss the naming strategy for the Former Wisley Airfield. We are keen to see inclusive and meaningful discussion about this and the Minutes from the meeting of 26^th November together with a map showing street names for the first settlement, Stratford End, were shared via OHRA last week.  There is ongoing discussion with Taylor Wimpey about whether part of the site should be called Upper Ockham, and we will get back to you on this soon.  Do look out for dates of further meetings shared by Taylor Wimpey via OHRA.

Community Safety Forum – 8^th January 2026

Looking ahead to the new year, we are pleased to announce that a Community Safety Forum will be taking place from 7 to 9 pm on Thursday 8th January at East Horsley Village Hall. This is an important opportunity for local residents to discuss concerns, share ideas and hear from GBC. Our thanks to GBC Cllr Catherine Young for arranging this event.

GBC Emergency Out-of-Office Contact Request

We have requested an emergency out-of-office contact from Guildford Borough Council for situations that require immediate attention outside standard office hours. Unfortunately, we are still waiting for a response. We continue to push for a clearer process.

As 2025 draws to a close, the PC thank residents for their support and messages of appreciation for work we have carried out this year.  There is always plenty going on behind the scenes be it related to planning matters, road safety, flooding matters, the process of transfer to a unitary authority, safeguarding our local ecology and more.  The PC value your contributions and input and wish to thank our Clerk for her help and involvement and SCC Cllr Dennis Booth and GBC Cllr Pat Oven for their ongoing support.  Many thanks also to Frances Porter, Chair of OHRA, who gives tirelessly to the community to ensure that everyone receives regular communications about local events.

We wish everyone a very happy festive holiday and all the best for 2026.

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

Taylor Wimpey update at the Parish Council meeting:

We were pleased to welcome Taylor Wimpey to our October Parish Council meeting, where they fielded questions from residents about the development’s impact on our village. Local concerns around noise, dust, and vibration took centre stage, alongside discussions about TW’s immediate plans and longer-term programme. Full details will be available in the meeting Minutes on our website shortly.

Got a specific query for Taylor Wimpey? Drop them a line at: communities@wisleyairfield.com

 

Faster broadband on the horizon?

Good news – we’ve asked Taylor Wimpey to explore bringing fast fibre broadband to the village. Watch this space for updates.

Battle of the potholes:

Old Lane residents, we know you’re feeling the bumps. Please keep reporting potholes directly to Surrey County Council online – the more reports they receive, the better our chances of getting them fixed.

Speed matters:

We’re conducting a comprehensive audit of speeding concerns across our local road network, with a full update coming in November. Meanwhile, the Vehicle Activated Sign will be back on Old Lane soon.

Surrey’s future: still waiting

The proposed Unitary Authority decision for Surrey remains pending. We’ll keep you posted as soon as we know more

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