Cranleigh Society’s Committee recently held an important meeting with four of Surrey County Council Highways Officers to demand an improvement to Waverley’s roads.
We need them to take account of the planned 1,700 extra houses for Cranleigh and the 2,600 houses for Dunsfold.
These extra houses could mean up to an extra 5,000 cars on our roads as well as the extra commercial and HGV lorries from the new factories being built on the Airfield. Everyone feels that the A281 to Guildford will be totally overwhelmed as well as the smaller roads and lanes.
The officers explained the problem they have, the Government are not providing ANY extra funds for roads and the Highways Department are not doing a major study to analyse the congestion – or to analyse what extra funds are needed.
Waverley have explained that the Dunsfold Developers have been promised that they need only pay Section 106 contributions – rather than the much larger Community Infrastructure Levies (CIL).
It is not possible to levy CIL whilst there is no Waverley Local Plan.There are different rules for how S106 payments and CIL payments can be spent.
WBC believe S106 is better as it stays within the Borough. However we also gather that it also means none goes to Surrey to improve roads!
Here is a summary of what they are planning:
1. There will be a new roundabout towards the A281 to take traffic from the airfield
2. the A281 junction with Elmbridge Road will have signal improvements and extra lanes – not a new roundabout.
3. There is a budget of £2.6M to improve junctions at Bramley and Shalford – but the officers agreed that this will not make much improvement because the section into Guildford is so narrow.
4. Cranleigh’s bridge over the Canal will be rebuilt, starting in 2020, with a £2million budget.
5. The bridge over Downlink needs to be re-built, but will be delayed as the cost estimate is £1.5million.
6. The bridge over the stream in Alfold Road needs rebuilding – but is delayed at cost of £350,000.
7. There is a budget of £0.5M for improvements to Cranleigh High Street, mainly to speed the buses, but the junction of the High Street and Knowle Lane cannot be improved.
8. There are no plans as yet to increase parking in Cranleigh, but Julia Potts has asked if Cranleigh people would consider a multi-storey carpark on Village Way.
In addition Waverley and The County are considering whether to improve the surface and provide some lighting along the Downslink from Cranleigh to Guildford.
Your Society pressed Surrey Highways to put in a bid from Government for roads improvement money, which they promised, but were not at all hopeful that they would get any extra money.
Highways are concerned about the growth of HGV traffic on the road to Shere, but will not be doing any work to relieve.
POT HOLES NEWS
Highways admitted that they have a £300 MILLION backlog on pothole and road repairs, but are only spending £50 million per year. The contractor is only paid per fully refurbished pothole and there are limits to the speed with which they can complete the task.
In summary, Cranleigh residents are facing a major delay in driving to Guildford, with no improvements to the rat-runs that serve Cranleigh. Your Society will continue to press our Councillors for improvement, remember they are all up for election next year.
Do you have any fresh ideas about improvements to the roads? Let us know….
In other words—-NO improvements at all that will make any difference to the miseries that will be felt by us all. As for Hound House road to Shere—-nothing can EVER be done to that road—it’s an ancient highway & all HGVs should be BANNED from using it AT ALL. It’s an absolute disaster what “they” are doing to Cranleigh & immediate district.
I really feel that we should have a huge demonstration & block Cranleigh AND Ewhurst during school time/rush hour.