easthorsley.info News and information from East Horsley Parish Council AUTUMN 2015 Grand Opening of the Multi Use Games Area INSIDE THIS ISSUE Neighbourhood Plan Survey Results Spotlight on Effingham Junction Housing Planned for Thatchers Hotel Callum’s Atlantic Challenge Road Calming for Ockham Road South Shell Fuels Controversy AUTUMN 2015 Editor’s Note… Shell Applies for 24/7 Alcohol easthorsley.info have your say on 30 September A big thank you to everyone who FOLLOWING EXTENSIVE refurbishment, the Shell Garage now has a ‘Deli 2 Go’ selling hot snacks, contributed to the Neighbourhood pastries and Costa coffee. So far so good, however Shell has upset local residents by applying Plan Survey distributed with the June to GBC for a licence to sell alcohol 24/7. Campaigners plead with GBC to “Stop this horrendous Newsletter. The return rate was 55%, proposal in a residential area with a massive increase in light and noise pollution and a detrimental which is very heartening as the greater effect on commercial businesses”. However, other residents are more sanguine, noting that the the response the more the value from garage is situated on a busy main road. EHPC has sent a letter to GBC stating its opposition to the the survey. The complete analysis runs proposal. You can have your say on Wednesday 30 September at 10am when the GBC Licensing Sub-Committee meets to discuss the proposal in East Horsley Village Hall. to 75 pages (shortly to be featured in full on www.easthorsley.info) however turn to the centre pages for a first look at the results. Elsewhere we report Callum’s Atlantic on plans to convert Thatchers Hotel to housing and the latest application Challenge – by The Drift Golf Club to run 45 heavy lorries per day along Forest Road. We turn the spotlight on an important part less than three of the parish, Effingham Junction, and months to go we welcome Reverend Renos Pittarides, ON 15 DECEMBER Callum Gathercole, in the our new Rector at St Martins company of 32 other crews, will set off from Church. Finally our cover story La Gomera in the Canaries in a bid to become is the opening of the MUGA the youngest ever person to row the Atlantic on Kingston Meadows, a single handedly. If all goes well he will make valuable new addition to landfall in Antigua in between 60 – 80 days. In the recreational facilities July Callum brought his boat ‘High and Mighty’ in the village – see the (Persil is the main sponsor) to East Horsley and Clerk’s Column below for challenged local residents to a 2 minute row on more details. Enjoy reading. Ergo Rowing Machines. Callum has set a target of £280,000 which, after deducting expenses, Steve Harvey – email: will benefit The Princess Alice Hospice in Esher, [email protected] Brain Tumour Research and Research into Alzheimer’s disease. Jayne Phillips of Eden Belle Florists and Rahim Uddin from Kirthon were both on hand to lend their support to Callum and contribute to the day’s total of more than £1,000. Follow Callum’s build up to the race at www.thewaterbabies.co.uk Clerk’s…from the C Office olumn of the Clerk Kingston Meadow what a great open space and it has just got better The MUGA (Multi Use Games Area) is now officially open with a new tennis court and the addition of 5-a-side football pitch and basketball court. There’s no cost to use it and its open 24/7. The children’s play areas are well maintained and regularly inspected by Guildford Council’s playground inspector to ensure they meet the highest standard of safety. Rahim Uddin supports Callum (Note to parents – you are responsible for supervising your children on apparatus). The Gym equipment is well used but unfortunately has not proved to be as resilient as expected. The good news is GBC plan to replace some of the devices with more up to Post Office date apparatus. EHPC are now considering the creation of a Skateboard Park in Kingston Meadows. Reprieve It is intended that the park will be a permanent, low maintenance project, with appeal POSTMISTRESS Shelina Blinkhorn says that to a wide range of users. The Council proposes to form a focus group to consider Bishopsmead Post Office has had a reprieve the project to be ably assisted by Ollie Beney, a keen skateboarder whose until at least July 2016. “I am very grateful for expertise will help in terms of layout and facilities. The following quote from the support that the Parish Council has given. a recent survey on Kingston Meadow was: “It’s clean, safe and there’s a With more time, I hope to find out what is the sense of community”. ultimate goal for the Post Office and how it can be best achieved without affecting the Nick Clemens – email: [email protected] vulnerable members of our community.” 2 EAST HORSLEY PARISH COUNCIL NEWSLETTER THATCHERS HOTEL, EAST HORSLEY Public Consultation Boards / AUGUST 2015 3 GREEN BELT REDEFINED GREEN BELT BOUNDARIES NATIONAL POLICY LOCAL POLICY predominantly open character. As set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), there are five Policy RE3 deals with development in identified settlements in the Areas of open land within the wider Green Belt are not frequently visible within purposes of the Green Belt which are: Green Belt. East Horsley is listed as a settlement which this policy or beyond the perceived village area due to the locations of surrounding • To check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas; applies to. The policy states: woodlands and tree cover within private gardens. Otherwise the village • To prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another; “Within these settlement boundaries new building will be permitted in the is generally perceived to be visually enclosed by surrounding topography, • To assist in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment; nature of infilling on land substantially surrounded by existing development hedgerows and woodland. • To preserve the setting and special character of historic towns; and for the developments referred to in Policy RE2 and the following purposes: - East Horsley is generally well contained by a number of recognisable and • To assist in urban regeneration, by encouraging the recycling of derelict 2. Small scale housing developments appropriate to the scale of the locality; defensible boundaries that would permit the provision of new Green Belt and other urban land. The above will not be permitted where it involves the loss of important boundaries.“ The NPPF has a general presumption against development in the Green Belt open spaces, harms the character or appearance of the area or where This report determined that East Horsley should be inset from the Green unless very special circumstances are demonstrated. necessary services are inadequate.” Belt. Currently this process is on hold but does form an evidence base Paragraph 89 of the NPPF details the type of development which are not when work commences on the new Local Plan. considered inappropriate and, the part which is relevant to this site is: Guildford Borough Council in their preparation of their new Local “limited infilling or the partial or complete redevelopment of previously developed Plan had a Green Belt and Countryside Study (GBCS) commissioned to The site is further identified within the draft Strategic Housing Land sites (brownfield land), whether redundant or in continuing use (excluding temporary determine any appropriate Potential Development Areas and assess Availabilit y A ssessment as b eing suitable for re development. It is anticipate d THATCHERS HOTEL, EAST Hbuildings),ORSLEY which would not have a greater impact on the openness of the Green Belt the contribution that urban areas and villages make to the Green Belt. that it could come forward in the first 5 years of the plan period. The plan and the purpose of includingPublic land Consultation within it than Boards the existing / AUGUST development.” 2015 This report effectively ranked sites within the Green Belt and combined 3 shows the full site (i.e the land within the settlement boundary and the GREEN BELT Paragraph 90 also lists certain other forms of ‘acceptable’ development with with the assessment of the village or area as a whole, informs the part south of the settlement boundary. one being: decision on whether to inset the village or not fromREDEFINED the Green Belt. GREEN BELT BOUNDARIES NATIONAL POLICY LOCAL POLICY “the re-use of buildings provided that the buildings are of permanentpredominantly and substantial open character. The GBCS assessed East Horsley and it concluded that: As set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), there are five Policy RE3 deals withconstruction.” development in identified settlements in the Areas of open land within the wider“East HorsleyGreen Belt generally are not exhibits frequently medium visible density within development to the north, purposes of the Green Belt which are: Green Belt. East Horsley is listed as a settlement which this policy or beyond the perceived villageand area a duelow todensity the locations of development of surrounding to the south of the A246 Epsom Road. • To check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas; applies to. The policy states: woodlands and tree cover withinOn balance, private duegardens. to a combinationOtherwise the of villagethe density of the development 1km radius • To prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another; “Within these settlement boundaries new building will be permitted in the is generally perceived to be visuallyand the enclosed notable areaby surrounding it covers, the topography, village is not considered to possess a • To assist in safeguarding the countryside from encroachment; nature of infilling on land substantially surrounded by existing development hedgerows and woodland.