News Bulletin – 30th June 2014
In 2012 a report was commissioned by Guildford Borough Council to study the extent of Surface Water Flooding in Guildford Borough. The Company charged with producing the report was Halcrow Group Limited. This initial commission did not include the West of the Borough (Ash, Ash Vale and Tongham), as this was viewed as part of the Blackwater Valley. However, in 2013 the scope was widened to include these areas. The final report should eventually highlight the areas at risk, and show the long term plans to manage these risks.
As part of the study, Halcrow consultants visited the area and ASHRA representatives were permitted to accompany them, explaining the topology of the area, the very complex sewage, drainage and stream network, and why all of these areas have such serious problems with flooding.
In June 2014 Halcrow produced a draft of their report which has now been published on the Guildford Borough Council website. It can be viewed via the following link. http://bit.ly/1nWS64q
Guildford Borough Council issued a press release on 27th June asking for residents to give their feedback on the draft report. This can be found on the following link. http://bit.ly/1vkvAoY. If you wish to comment, you can by email on engineeringservices@guildford.gov.uk, or alternatively there is an online comment form which can be found at http://svy.mk/1q8tFEp.
We, at ASHRA, are currently working on our comprehensive response to the Halcrow draft report and we will be forwarding this to Guildford Borough Council later this week. In the mean time, we have issued the following press release:-
"Ash Residents Association welcomes Guildford Borough Council's publication of the draft Ash Surface Water Management Study for comments and feedback, but with some reservations.
Ash Residents Association believes the report's identification and analysis of flooding hotspots in Ash Vale North, Ash Vale South, Ash Station Area and Tongham to be broadly correct. The identification of Ash South and Ash Lodge Drive as a flooding hotspot is also correct but there are some technical errors in that element of the report which need to be addressed.
Ash Residents Association will be providing a full and detailed response in due course, but believe that, when relevant corrections have been made to the report, the current estimate of £750,000 in proposed mitigation measures for South Ash will be significantly increased.
Roger Smolski, Secretary of the Ash Residents Association said "At last it looks as if Guildford Borough Council is beginning to recognise surface water flooding in the area as a serious issue. ASHRA provided a detailed Flooding Report to the Council in January 2013 in response to the planning application for 400 homes on Ash Meadows, and it's good to see our analysis substantially confirmed. Once the draft report is finalized it will become even more apparent that approving the building of 400 homes on the lowest point in Ash, based on only a superficial understanding of the flood risk, was a mistake of enormous proportions."
News Bulletin – 29th March 2014
This newsletter is to update everyone on a few important events that have happened in the past week.
Village Green Application
Firstly, the Planning Committee at Surrey County Council met on Wednesday 26th March, to officially discuss and decide on my Village Green Application for Ash Meadows. As you will remember from our previous Newsletters, the Inspectors Report recommended that my application be rejected on very dubious grounds.
For all those who did not attend, or watch the meeting on the SCC Webcast, there was no discussion………..it appeared that they had all made up their minds to follow the Inspectors recommendation like lemmings, as they always do. We are obviously disappointed, but not surprised at all by this. If anyone wants to watch the webcast click on this link or past it into your browser http://bit.ly/1k3VJnu
We would like to sincerely thank everyone who filled in evidence questionnaires in support of the Village Green Application. A very special thanks goes to those who gave their time to give evidence personally at the Public Inquiry.
This is a setback, it is not the end of the battle.
Bewley Homes Planning Application
The next important item to report is that Guildford Borough Council has given Bewley Homes & a2dominion the official notice of Planning Permission. They have also issued the Section 106 agreement for the developers and landowners to sign.
Section 106 agreements, also known as planning obligations, are agreements between developers and local planning authorities that are negotiated as part of a condition of planning consent.
The Town and Country Planning Act 1990 enables local authorities to negotiate financial contributions towards a range of infrastructure and services, such as community facilities, public open space, transport improvements and/or affordable housing.
Although this may sound like building on this site is therefore imminent, this is far from the truth, and more information on what is being done, and planned for the future, will follow in due course.
Very best regards and thanks to everyone for their continuing support.
Graham Eyre
Chairman, Ash Residents Association
News Bulletin – 20th January 2014
It’s been a while now since our last Newsletter. Firstly, we would like to wish everyone a very happy New Year, and secondly update you on what has been happening and more importantly what we have been doing with regard to local issues.
The Village Green Application
In response to our counsels’ comments, Surrey County Council requested further clarification and advice from the Inspector, Mr. Webster, who oversaw the Public Inquiry last May. This advice has now been received and Surrey County Council have informed all parties that their report is going to the Planning and Regulatory Committee for a decision on 26th February 2014.
Recent Flooding in Ash
Everyone will be aware of the major surface water flooding which has occurred in Ash since the heavy rain started on Christmas Eve. We at Ash Residents Association know only too well the issues as our Committee have been out at 6:00am clearing culverts in the dark, to try to stop houses flooding, along with many other residents. Below are two photographs, taken in the last couple of weeks, which illustrate the problems.
Guildford Surface Water Management Plan
Surrey County Council recently commissioned water consultants, Halcrow Group based in Swindon, to undertake a Surface Water study for Guildford Borough. Once we learned of this, we had discussions with GBC Engineers, and it came to light that the study was not going to include Ash, because Ash comes under the Blackwater Valley. However, having spoken to the senior engineer who was involved with the Bewley Homes Planning Application, he agreed that the study should include Ash, and he managed to get further funding to accommodate us.
On Monday 13th January the Consultants, plus the GBC Engineer visited Ash, and our Chairman plus our water expert toured the whole of Ash, advising on the topology of Ash, where the storm drains and sewers are inadequate, why the massive volume of water collects in the fields behind Ash Lodge Drive / Loddon Way / South Lane, and why the fields play such a major role in flood prevention. We look forward to their report and findings.
Planning Application 12/P/01973 – Land to the South of Ash Lodge Drive
As you may be aware, Guildford Borough Council has yet to issue the formal approval for this Planning Application to Bewley Homes & a2dominion. In the last few days Ash Residents Association have made a formal request to Ash Parish Council, requesting they seek a Judicial Review of the decision taken at the extraordinary meeting of Guildford Borough Council on 24th September 2013 to approve 12/P/01973. Having obtained a copy of the video taken at the Council Meeting, under the Freedom of Information Act, and studied it, in detail, with our legal counsel, it is apparent that there are very good reason why a Judicial Review would be successful.
Planning Application 12/P/01534 – Land to the South of Foreman Road
Unfortunately, the planning appeal on this application was upheld, and therefore outline planning permission has been granted. However, it would appear from the decision by the Planning Inspectorate that no work can begin until an area of land suitable for a SANG can be found. This is by no means a foregone conclusion.
News Bulletin – 14th November 2013
Dear Resident,
We regret to inform you that Guildford Borough Council have received a letter from the office of the Secretary of State for Communities & Local Government, Eric Pickles MP, stating that it has been decided not to call-in Planning Application 12/P/01973. The letter can be viewed on here. This means that the Council can now confirm the decision to approve the Planning Application.
Although this is a setback, we are taking legal advice to determine what our next actions should be, and we will, or course, keep everyone informed.
Graham Eyre
News Bulletin – 7th November 2013
We thought we would give residents an update on the situation regarding Planning Application 12/P/10973.
As you know after the Full Council Meeting on 24th September, the Planning Officer at Guildford Borough Council was served with an Interim Holding Direction by the office of the Secretary of State. This Holding Direction means that the Council cannot formally approve the Council vote on 24th September, and it has been put on hold. The Council’s decision will now be reviewed by the Secretary of State for Communities & Local Government, Eric Pickles MP., who will assess whether it needs to be Called-In.
We still haven’t heard anything from the Secretary of State’s office, and there is no indication of how long it will be before a decision is made.
However, as we advised before, it is possible for residents to write to our MP, Michael Gove, asking him to lobby on our behalf to get this planning application called-in and to a public inquiry. Mr. Gove has promised to send every letter/e-mail he receives from residents to Eric Pickles, even at this late stage. So if you haven’t written yet, please do it now.
How to do it. (There are there possibilities).
1. You can write a letter to:
Rt Hon Michael Gove MP
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA
2. You can use this link: http://www.writetothem.com/. Just input your postcode, click on Michael Gove’s name, and you can write your message.
3. You can e-mail: frances.reynolds@parliament.uk for the attention of Michael Gove. This lady is Michael Gove's researcher and if you mark it for his attention she will pass it on.
What to say
Of course you can say what you feel but if you are writing to support the call-in please include something similar to:
I support the request by Ash Residents Association (ASHRA) to the Secretary Of State to call-in Guildford Borough Council Planning Application 12/P/01973 for his own determination.
Graham
News Bulletin 2 – 25th September 2013
Planning Application 12/P/01973
We would like to express our thanks to all those that have supported ASHRA during the course of our campaign against this badly thought out Planning Application.
Each time we requested help from residents, we have been overwhelmed by the number of people who were willing to give up their time, or who are willing to show their support by attending events in numbers.
Our thanks go to:
- the many distributors of two leafleting campaigns
- the people who helped get our petition signed
- people who helped raise funds
- the stewards
These people are far too numerous to mention here, but they know who they are.
We have also received help and support from both Tongham Residents Association and Ash Green Residents Association for which we are extremely grateful.
Peter Stephenson
Ash Residents Association
News Bulletin – 25th September 2013
Well first let me say how wonderful it was to see such support at the Full Council Meeting last night. Some were saying that there was apathy among the residents and the turnout would be low. For those who didn’t attend, you missed an interesting, but very long evening. Guildford Borough Council had prepared well, and organised closed circuit television to large screens in additional seating areas in their staff restaurant and the foyer of Millmead. This meant that over 400 people could be seated, and on the night every seat was occupied and people were standing. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT.
On the down side, after all of the speeches and the discussion, it went to a vote, which we unfortunately lost 16 to 14. Although it was a disappointment, we knew that there would be party political voting , rather than vote on the Planning Applications merits, and there was always the risk that this could swing the result away from us. In addition, GBC Planning & Legal Services frightened the more timid Councillors with dire predictions of what would happen if the Application was refused, i.e. Bewley Homes may appeal, and GBC would incur legal costs.
However, we may have lost the battle, but we certainly haven’t lost the war, and if Bewley Homes, a2dominion and Guildford Borough Council think we are going to quietly go away now, then they don’t know me, and they don’t know the rest of the Ash Residents Association Committee.
The ASHRA Committee would like to thank our local Ward Councillors, Stephen Mansbridge, Paul Spooner and Nick Sutcliffe. Both Stephen and Paul spoke extremely well and passionately at the meeting and Nick, although he wasn’t permitted to speak or vote last night, has worked tirelessly behind the scenes with us. Also our lawyer, Ashley Bowes, who spoke on our behalf last night.
Other than the result of the vote, the most depressing sight last night was that of Cllr David Goodwin, Leader of the Liberal Democrats at GBC, standing in the Council Chamber and hurling the most sickening personal insults at Cllr. Stephen Mansbridge in front of the full Council and the public. I think every member of the public was totally disgusted with his performance and many voiced the opinion that he should be thrown out of the Chamber. However, in typical Guildford Borough Council style, he was timidly asked to apologise, he refused, and was allowed to stay. His were the actions of “the school bully” and have no place in democratic society. However, when it came to the vote, the rest of the Lib Dems, bar 2, voted with him like lemmings.
Thank you once again for your continued support.
Graham Eyre
Chairman, Ash Residents Association
Village Green Application
We have received a copy the Inspectors Report on the Village Green Application for the land south of Ash Lodge Drive. Unfortunately, it would appear that the Inspector felt that the whole of the application land had not been used by a significant number of local inhabitants for qualifying lawful sports and pastimes. Several hundred local residents know, from their own experience, that this is not the case, but unfortunately it's the Inspectors' opinion that counts. He has therefore recommended to Surrey County Council that the application be rejected.
Although this is not the outcome we desired, we move on to defeating the Bewley Homes Planning Application.
To view the full report click here