Hambledon Parish Council has been notified by Surrey County Council’s Countryside Access team of Notices of Section 31(6) of the Highways Act 1980 relating to land on both Burgate Farm and Pockford Estate. This notice allows a landowner to acknowledge the existence of rights of way already in place across their land, but prevents any new ones from being created. The landowner deposits a map with SCC showing the extent of their land and what rights exist across it. Hambledon Parish Council will look into whether there are any rights of way that have been missed off the maps. 

If you are a regular user of the footpaths or bridleways across these areas, please take a look at the deposited maps to ensure your favourite exists.

Further details are available on the Countryside Access website under the Landowner deposits tab and can be searched for via the name of Burgate Farm or Pockford Estate.

Local Government is changing in Surrey. There are currently 12 councils within Surrey, these will be reorganised in order to simplify the services provided to the public. Waverley Borough Council is holding a number of in person sessions at 4 venues across the borough to explain the proposals. Two options are being considered: reorganising Surrey into either two or three unitary authorities. Surrey County Council support having two (East and West Surrey), whilst Waverley support having three (East, West and North Surrey).

The sessions will be hosted by the Leader of Waverley Borough Council, Cllr Paul Follows, together with local ward councillors. These sessions will explain what Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) is, outline the different options being considered, and show you how to get involved.

You’ll also have the chance to ask questions about what these changes could mean for you, your family, and your community.

Following the retirement of Cllr Stewart Payne after 24 years of service to Hambledon Parish Council, there is now a vacant seat on the Council. Waverley Borough Council’s Electoral Services team have confirmed that the official Notice of Vacancy of 14 working days has been completed with no request for an election from the electorate. This means the Council will now move to co-opt a suitable candidate. 

Hambledon Parish Council looks forward to welcoming you to the Annual Parish Assembly from 7.30pm in the village hall. It is an opportunity to hear updates from the Parish Council as well as reports from the many organisations in the village. Also an opportunity to meet and ask questions of our local police team. ALL WELCOME

The agenda is as follows:

Please come along to the Annual Parish Assembly, held in the village hall on Thursday 10th April. It is an informal meeting hosted by the Parish Council which celebrates all the different organisations in the village with representatives from across the community giving a brief report of the last 12 months. Doors open at 7.30pm and there will be a chance to have a drink and a chat before the meeting starts.

Chairman Stewart Payne will open the meeting at 8pm and this year we welcome Surrey Police as speakers. PC Archie Ridley and PCSO John Savage will be holding a Q & A session at the start. The parish clerk asks that questions are sent in advance where possible. If you have any questions you would like to be addressed during the meeting, please get in touch via email (parishclerk@hambledonsurrey.co.uk) by Tuesday 8th April.

This Parish Assembly will be Cllr Stewart Payne’s last as both Chairman and a longstanding Councillor as he will be retiring at the May AGM. This meeting will be an opportunity to thank him for 23 years of service on the Council. If you would like to donate to his retiring collection, there is a collection in the village shop. If you’d prefer to make a bank transfer, please contact the parish clerk for the details.

The annual litter pick which follows the Parish Assembly will take place on Saturday 12th April at 10am. There will be opportunities to sign up at the assembly on the evening or in the village shop after. 

More details of the evening will follow.

An update on Wednesday 12th February: Hambledon Parish Council has had some positive news about the road closure. Surrey County Council believe they have fixed the issue causing the water to pour down the road. SCC’s drainage team have been on site today and cleared a root that had grown into and blocked a drain. Thames Water now has until Friday to backfill the hole and make the road passable.

The advice in the Bernard Cribbins comedy hit song The Hole in the Ground was: “Don’t dig there, dig it elsewhere”.

In Hambledon, as fed-up residents will know, the holes in its roads are no laughing matter. As for where they are being dug, it is not just “there” but “elsewhere” as well.

Hambledon Road at Rock Hill has been blocked since January 29, when Thames Water arrived to fix a recurring water leak. The hole is still there, the road remains impassable, and no one has been on site for a week.

Since then, there have been closures, for different reasons, on Church Lane and Hambledon Road at Hydestile. New Road approaching Witley Station is due to be closed for four days from next Monday, again by Thames Water. All this follows many other closures this winter, leaving villagers fed up and frustrated.

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.

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.