On 7th April, at the public hearing with the Traffic Commissioner at Guildford Borough Council, local Cranleigh residents put their objections to the granting of 10 operating licences for Tunnel Grab Ltd which had applied for an operating centre at the Stonescape site (Yew Tree Nursery) on the Guildford Road near Rowly.
Up to 25 local residents, Waverley Borough Council and representatives from Stonescapes/Tunnel Grab Ltd attended to hear both sides of the argument.
A very powerful and professional case was presented by local residents who objected strongly on environmental grounds and even before any decision by the Traffic Commissioner, concessions were being offered by Tunnel Grab Ltd to reduce the number of  ‘O’ licences they required, from 10 to 7!
Residents were also assured that the HGV’s would only be parked up overnight, with no refuelling, maintenance etc being carried out to the HGV’s on site and no storage of materials or other plant.  It was also confirmed that there were no future plans for any form of building, any recycling, or waste treatment plant on the Stonescapes site.
It was exceptionally annoying and disappointing  that one of the statutory consultees; Surrey County Council, Highways Department, had withdrawn their objections to the site being used as an operating centre at the very last moment, with all participating parties having been informed of this fact with the exception of local Cranleigh residents!!!
Residents only heard about the dramatic ‘U’ turn at the very last minute the night before. They then had to spend the night reviewing their case, as for the previous six months Surrey County Council had maintained their technical objections on road safety grounds and this had formed a cornerstone for resident’s case against Tunnel Grab Ltd.
It is a testament to the endeavours of a few dedicated people that the final objection was completed and delivered without any material loss to the overall argument behind it.
The Traffic Commissioner will make his final judgement in two weeks. With his final statement he said  that he could reject the granting of the licenses, grant the licenses with significant conditions (the applicant would still require planning consent) or grant the licenses subject to final planning consent being given by Waverley BC (this would be almost impossible as the land is Green Belt and Waverley BC are a statutory objector). That really is a significant change from the original application and it shows what a group of committed residents can do even when faced with impossible odds.
Although we will have to wait 2 weeks for a decision, it does show exactly what Cranleigh residents can achieve if the will is there!
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