New Rental Opportunity at Livery Close – Three Bedroom House Available.

A three bedroom property on the new Livery Close development has become available to rent. Applications are being accepted between Thursday 30th January – Sunday 2nd February. Applicants must be registered for housing with Waverley Borough Council and those with a connection to Hambledon are prioritised. Further details are available via English Rural.

Winter Weather – A Reminder of Village Emergency Arrangements

This winter, Hambledon has already experienced disruptive weather, and more is forecast.

Tomorrow (Saturday January 4th), a brief period of heavy snow is predicted for the late afternoon and evening, followed by heavy rain.

It is worth remembering that Hambledon Parish Council has an Emergency Plan in place in the event of severe disruption or health risk and details of this follow.

If you need help, other than that of the Emergency Services, please contact Stewart Payne, chair of the council and he and other volunteers will do their best to lend a hand where needed. Contact details are at the end of this article.

  • Despite the problems snow can bring, it also creates beauty, as this photo of Church Lane taken in January 2010 shows.

Hambledon Parish Council has an Emergency Plan procedure in place in the event of harsh winter weather bringing disruption to the village.

However, there are many simple precautions villagers can take to make sure they can cope with cuts to power supplies and phone lines, a problem that has affected Hambledon in the recent past and usually caused by high winds or heavy snow.

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Improving Our Footpaths – Your Views Required

A public consultation on the the first draft of Surrey County Council’s Rights of Way Improvement Plan has been published. Surrey County Council would love to hear from you. Back in February 2024, Surrey County Council first asked for input to the plan. The plan helps shape the way local highway authorities identify how to make the rights of way network more useful to the public and gives a strategic approach to managing public access. Many residents took part in the initial survey which will have been used to inform this new plan.

As listed on the Rights of Way website the plan is required to:

  • Refer to other relevant plans and strategies that may affect use of the network, including structure plans; local plans; healthy living; leisure; tourism; transport and community strategies
  • Assess where the existing rights of way network is considered to be deficient and where it could be changed to better reflect current needs
  • Assess the extent to which the rights of way network is accessible to blind and partially sighted people and those with mobility problems
  • Indicate how any identified deficiencies could be remedied

The first draft of the plan can be found here. Surrey County Council have asked for feedback via a survey which is available until Sunday 9th February 2025, so there is plenty of time to consider it:

Rights of Way Improvement Plan Statutory Consultation – Surrey County Council – Citizen Space

More information can be found on the main website here.

HGVs Barred From Hambledon – How to Report a Suspected Offender

After many years of campaigning, the whole of Hambledon village is now within an HGV exclusion zone. This means that a driver/owner of a lorry over 7.5 t weight is breaking the law if it enters the zone, unless on a local delivery or operating from a base within the zone.

Emergency and public services vehicles are exempted.

The ban replaces the previous advisory notification, a blue sign largely ignored that simply stated a road was unsuitable for HGVs. Now, all roads at the entrance of the zone have signs with a red diagonal line.

Hambledon resident Paul Osborne, Surrey County Councillor Kevin Deanus and Hambledon Parish Council pressed for a ban repeatedly over the past few years. The exclusion zone required careful consideration to ensure that, in banning HGVs from Hambledon’s narrow lanes, other nearby villages were not blighted. There also had to be a public consultation.

The result is one of the largest HGV exclusion zones in the country and covers not just Hambledon but all adjacent parishes. First time offenders will receive an official warning but repeat offenders can be fined or prosecuted.

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BRIDLEWAY 186 – Major Repairs Underway

Work is well underway to restore Bridleway 186, which runs from beside the Marry Harriers towards Enton and Hambledon Common.

Hambledon Parish Council, supported by residents concerned at the appalling state of this bridleway, successfully lobbied Surrey County Council which, after a visit by a rights of way officer, agreed to prioritise repairs.

Much of the route from Hambledon Road to Hambledon Common had become so waterlogged and muddy that it was almost impossible to walk.

Four years ago, village volunteers had tried, with some success, to improve the state of what otherwise would be a popular walking and riding route. However, it became clear that a lasting solution required major works beyond the skills and budget of villagers.

Surrey County Council agreed to fund this and contracted the work out, with a financial contribution from the Parish Council’s neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). Hambledon Nursery School kindly agreed to allow the contactors the use of its car park for its machinery during the summer holidays. It will receive some surface repairs in return.

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Proposed ban on HGVs in Hambledon and Surrounds – Have Your Say

Heavy goods vehicles using the village’s narrow lanes as a cut through could soon be a thing of the past as Surrey County Council proposes an exclusion zone which will include all of Hambledon, Hydestile and Vann.

Hambledon Parish Council has lobbied SCC on this issue over many years, calling for measures to restrict HGV movements unless making local deliveries. In addition, Paul Osborne, a Hydestile resident living on Salt Lane, a rural route blighted by HGVs, has tirelessly campaigned on the issue, providing compelling evidence of inappropriate use by large lorries.

In recent years, Kevin Deanus, our ward county councillor, has taken the issue up at County Hall, pressing for an enforceable ban.

Finally, we have a result. SCC Highways Department has picked up on the issue and, after extensive research, has published details of the proposed exclusion zone. Hambledon Parish Council has already responded positively to the proposal and residents have the opportunity to express their own support, objection or comment. Details of how to do this can be found at the end of this article.

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Villagers Invited to Trial New On-Demand Bus Service

As Hambledon’s 503 bus service enters its final months of operation, more details have been announced about its on-demand replacement.

Over the past year, Surrey County Council has been rolling out “Surrey Connect”. It will arrive in Godalming in September, when the Hambledon to Milford, Godalming and Guildford timetabled route will cease.

Instead of Hambledon’s scheduled service, which operates just three days a week, passengers can instead request an accessible electric mini-bus to collect them from designated pick-up points in the village to anywhere in the Godalming zone.

It is already available for journeys to and from Cranleigh.

The new service will operate Monday to Friday from 7am to 7pm and on Saturdays between 8am and 6pm. Proposed pick-up point include the village shop, Malthouse Lane, Merry Harriers and the Hydestile Crossroads.

This type of bus operation is known as Digital Demand Responsive Transport (DDRT). Passengers need to registered for an account, and then can use either a call centre number, a mobile phone app or go online to book a single or return journey.

All journeys must be within the greater Godalming area (boundaries yet to be announced) with an adult single fare ranging from £2 to £6, depending on the distance travelled. For onward journeys, passengers would need to request a DDRT from a neighbouring zone.

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Annual Parish Assembly This Thursday Night at Village Hall – Please Come Along at 7.30pm

If you care about Hambledon and the many activities and organisations that make such a significant contribution to village life, then please come along on Thursday evening to the annual Parish Assembly.

Hosted by the Parish Council, this is a social occasion as well as an opportunity to hear brief reports from all village groups on how they have fared in the last 12 months.

These range from the village sports clubs, social activities such as Bridge, book club and cycling, through to the volunteer run shop, nursery school, village trust, community fund, website, parish magazine, church and parish council.

The report from St Peter’s church will be particularly pertinent this year as it seeks urgent help in order to maintain weekly services and a vicar living in the village, And, of course, to cater for Hambledon weddings, Christenings and funerals.

And the new owners of the Merry Harriers may even find the time to drop in to update on the recent major refurbishment of our village local. It has been a busy time for Alex Winch, Sam Fiddian-Green and their staff after a three-week closure and the pub is due to re-open tonight (Wednesday April 24) at 5pm for locals and in full tomorrow.

The Parish Assembly is an inclusive and informative occasion, beginning with wine, soft drinks and refreshments from 7.30pm at the Village Hall tomorrow evening (Thursday April 25th) followed by presentations at 8pm. The event is usually concluded by 9.30pm.

All are welcome, and if you have moved to Hambledon in the last 12 months, you are especially so.

  • As is customary, the Assembly is followed on Saturday morning (April 27) by the annual village clean-up, concluding with a parish council hosted barbecue on the green outside the shop at noon. Arrive anytime after 9am to be given bin bags, litter pickers and safety jackets and an allocated area to tidy. This is a fun, family occasion, so please sign up and come along.