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A “new town” for Dunsfold? Council meets to consider Local Plan

 

A “new town” of 2,600 houses at Dunsfold Aerodrome is among proposals in the new draft Local Plan to be considered by Waverley Borough Council tonight (Tuesday July 19).

The airfield site is already subject to a planning application for 1,800 homes and this total will inevitably rise if the new Local Plan is adopted. Dunsfold Park, owners of the site, has suggested that eventually up to 3,400 houses could be built.

Hambledon Parish Council has objected to the application and has joined with other parishes in the area in arguing that narrow country lanes will not be able to cope with the additional traffic.  The only major road near the site, the A281, is already at a standstill at peak times. To avoid this new home owners will be forced to “rat-run” by using single-track rural roads such as Markwick Lane, Salt Lane and Vann Lane to reach Milford and Witley stations, schools, shops and places of work.

POW protest

If Waverley adopts the new Local Plan, efforts to fight the Dunsfold Park proposals will be seriously undermined. In 2009 Waverley refused a similar housing application for the site, upheld by a Government inspector on appeal. Today, although reasons for objecting remain the same, Waverley is under central Government pressure to build more than 500 new homes across the borough every year to 2032.

Waverley’s executive has already recommended the new Local Plan be formally published and the full council meets tonight at 7pm to consider endorsing this recommendation. If this happens there will be a minimum six-week for representations before the plan is submitted for examination by a Government Planning Inspector.

Protect Our Waverley, a campaign group set up to fight the proposals, will be staging a demonstration outside Waverley offices before tonight’s meeting.

 

 

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Hambledon Ladies Breakfast – Saturday 13 August 2016

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We are looking forward to welcoming Annie Sneller to our Ladies Breakfast at the WSGC in August. Annie has worked for many years as a community nurse before diversifying into the world of mediation and conflict resolution.
Annie is also part of the leadership team at her local church providing pastoral care and teaching and has been lucky to take several short term trips, supporting faith based projects in countries such as Ukraine, Grenada, Ethiopia and India.
Please do come along and hear Annie’s story and enjoy a delicious breakfast with friends and neighbours.  F  or further information please contact Vicki Hinde by email   [email protected] or Sue Blackman 01428 683871. Tickets are now on sale in the Village Shop priced at 8 pounds until Tuesday 9 August.

Hambledon Ladies Breakfast Logo jpeg [7651]

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Hambledon Village Shop – Reports from the Annual Members Meeting

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Around 40 members attended the Annual Members Meeting of The Hambledon Village Shop Limited on Thursday 7th July 2016 in Hambledon Village Hall.

As well as presentations of the annual and year to date accounts, there were reports from Tim Parker (Chairmen of the Shop Management Committee) and from Gill Darbyshire (Shop Manager). These reports are provided below for those with an interest in the shop who were unable to attend the meeting.

 

Report from Tim Parker

Report from Gill Darbyshire

 

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Caring for Oakhurst

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Are you a student looking for a challenge during the summer holidays? Ever thought about becoming a National Trust Volunteer Conservation Assistant?

It is over 30 years since the National Trust, with the support of Hambledon Parish Council, decided to open Oakhurst Cottage to the public. A dedicated team of volunteer guides, largely recruited from within the village, give visitors a unique insight into the life- styles of Oakhurst’s inhabitants during the last four centuries; but the cottage itself, its fabric and its contents are an equally important part of the story. The contents in particular, many of which date from 19th century, need a lot of TLC – and that includes cleaning and conservation repairs.

Whether it’s a candle snuffer, a rag rug, a stool, a quilt, a piece of pottery, an item of clothing or anything in between, objects get dusty and dirty if they aren’t regular cleaned and, at the end of each season, checked to see if any damage limitation is required. This is where volunteer conservation assistants have a vital role to play.

The National Trust is recruiting Volunteer Conservation Assistants to help care for Oakhurst. From 15 August important repairs to the fabric of the cottage are being carried out, so the initial requirement is for someone to go in for half an hour on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings (at any time that suits up to 12.30) to sweep and tidy and generally remove the dust that will inevitably result from the repair works. But there’s more to it than that. If you volunteer for this task you will be given full NT training that will not only show you what to do for the half-hour cleaning sessions but will also teach you about conservation repair work and give you a set of skills and experience that will make a unique contribution to your CV.

You will be able to put these skills to good use not only at Oakhurst (where you will always be welcome whenever you find yourself in Hambledon) but also at National Trust properties throughout the country, depending on where your studies or interests may take you in the future.

Ready to get involved? If so, please e-mail [email protected]. Should you require further information please get in touch with Jane Woolley, Chair of the Oakhurst Cottage Advisory Committee: [email protected] or telephone 01428 684213.

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Grand Raffle Prize Winners

Many thanks to everyone who bought tickets for the Raffle and all the helpers on the Stand. And to the Companies and people who donated the great prizes.

 

The lucky Winners below:

  • Spa Day for 2 at Penny Hill Park   –   Anthea Edwards
  • Tickets for Oval 1st Day  England v Pakistan – Stu Parker
  • NFL Wembley Bundle – Andrew Abbott
  • Goodwood Festival of Speed  – Franks
  • Surrey cricket signed bat – Oliver Lucas
  • 2 Guest Passes for Amarna Spa Haslemere – Mary Phillips
  • £40 Cath Kidson voucher – Saville
  • £25 Voucher for Roxtons – Sue Adams
  • Bunch of Flowers from Greenhouse Godalming – Linda Barnes
  • Woking FC tickets – Alfred Ellis

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THE BENCH, THE FETE, THE BALL…AND LOUIS DE BERNIÈRES

Philip Underwood, fete organiser, and the village website team report on a busy weekend in Hambledon.

An eventful weekend saw the unveiling of a new bench in commemoration of the Queen’s 90th birthday, a very well-attended fete, a packed Midsummer Ball, a special church service…and an exclusive interview with the award-winning author Louis de Bernières.

Louis, whose work includes the acclaimed Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, grew up in Hambledon and wrote about his time here in his book Notwithstanding. Before opening the fete on the village cricket green on Saturday (June 18) he took time out to film an interview with www.hambledonsurrey.co.uk in which he talked candidly about his childhood. The interview can be found here.

He was then in attendance as the new bench was unveiled outside the village shop, overlooking the village pond. It was commissioned on behalf of the village in recognition of the Queen’s 90th birthday and was unveiled by Jane Woolley, clerk to the parish council, who has worked tirelessly for Hambledon in many capacities. She was introduced by John Anderson, parish council chairman.

The bench, carved from local oak, was designed and made in Hambledon by local craftsmen Dorian van Braam and Olafur Mason. Its first occupants were children in fancy dress from the village nursery school.

Louis de Bernières then declared the fete open, remarking that Hambledon was little changed from his childhood days in the 1960s and 1970s.

The traditional fete featured all the usual attractions with games, stalls, bouncy castle, face painting, arts and crafts, food and drink. Children competed in a tug of war, local pooches and their owners took centre stage in a dog show. A popular feature was the display by the Hawk and Owl Show.

When the last stragglers finally left the village green it was time to turn the marquee into a venue for the Midsummer Ball. Several hundred villagers and their guests sat around circular tables to wine and dine and then dance to the music of local band The Likeness.

The following day a Sunday morning service combining congregations from Hambledon and Busbridge churches was held in the marquee, celebrating Father’s Day.

Proceeds to the fete and ball went to support village clubs and activities. Thanks go Philip Underwood and his many helpers, including Hambledon Football Club, for organising the fete and for the hard work of Sue and Ginger Blackman and friends for staging the ball.

A few images from the weekend activities are shown below. If you would like to see the complete photo galleries please click here.

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Hambledon Village Shop Annual Meeting 7th July 2016

THE HAMBLEDON VILLAGE SHOP LIMITED

NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEMBERS MEETING

The Annual Members Meeting of THE HAMBLEDON VILLAGE SHOP LIMITED will be held on Thursday 7th July 2016 at 7.30pm in Hambledon Village Hall.

All Members (being persons whose names are listed on the Register of Members as holding shares) are invited to attend and vote at the meeting.

The business to be dealt with is as follows:

  1. To receive the Annual Accounts for the financial year ending 31 January 2016
  2. To receive a report on the performance of the shop during the financial year ending 31 January 2016 and the Management Committee’s plans for the current and next financial years
  3. To elect members of the Management Committee

21 June 2016

Management Committee

 HAMBLEDON VILLAGE SHOP LIMITED is a Community Benefit Society registered under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014

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Louis de Bernières in conversation – Video 30 minutes


007Screen Shot 2016-06-18 at 19.24.45Louis de Bernières, award winning author of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, returned to Hambledon, the village of his childhood, to open the fete and to talk to the village website on camera.

He speaks candidly about his book Notwithstanding, set in Hambledon, and posed beside a Morris Minor, a car which, with nuns behind the wheel, struck fear into the hearts of any motorists they encountered on village lanes.

For accounts of this and other reflections on his life growing-up in our village view the 30 minute video below:

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Hambledon Village Fête – the excitement builds….

We are pleased to announce that the author Louis de Bernières, who was brought up in Hambledon, will be opening the fête alongside the grand unveiling of the Queen’s 90th Birthday Bench outside Hambledon village Shop at 1.45pm.

The big day is nearly upon us. The forecast is for fair weather and temperatures of around 20°C in the afternoon after a few morning showers.

Fete16 A4 poster update 6u2

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Grand Draw – Hambledon Village Fete

Grand Draw tickets are available from Hambledon Village Shop £1 a ticket or £5 for a book. Some great prizes already confirmed.  If you would like to pick up any books to sell these can also be collected from the Village Shop or contact [email protected]

Prizes:

Spa Day for 2 at Penny Hill Park

Goodwood Festival of Speed tickets

NFL Wembley Bundle

Signed Surrey Cricket Bat and 2 tickets to the 1st Day Test at the Oval

plus many more to be confirmed

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Somme Centenary – Special Commemorative Service

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 In 2016, many throughout the world will be commemorating the centenary of the Battle of the Somme (1 July – 18 November 1916), and remembering those who fought and died during this battle.  The Somme remains the theatre of one of the most deadly battles of the First World War. The French and British armies rallied troops from the colonies and the French Foreign Legion and units from 25 nations and 50 countries were involved in the battle. In five months of combat, the total number of men killed, wounded and missing reached over one million and entire nations were sent into mourning. The British and Germans suffered 420,000 casualties each, the French 190,000. The landscape of the north-east of the Somme was completely devastated; villages were razed to the ground and fields turned into lunar-landscapes by shelling. A century after these events, the trauma of the battle is still strongly felt and the numerous cemeteries and memorials, punctuating the landscapes, embody the continued memory of a “lost generation”.

Laurent Somon, President of the Somme Departmental Council

In Hambledon, we will be holding our own service to commemorate the centenary of the Battle of the Somme on:

Friday 1st July, 7.30pm at Hambledon Church

Our aim is to include reflections from those whose families had a connection with someone involved in the battle. If this is you, Catherine McBride (Associate Vicar, Busbridge & Hambledon Church) would love to hear from you to find out more and see how you could be involved. Do give her a call on 01483 421267 or by e-mail [email protected]

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Surrey County Council Confirms 503 Bus Reprieve

Surrey County councillors have formally endorsed the recommendation not to withdraw the 503 bus service.

At a meeting of its Cabinet on Tuesday (May 24th) members approved the recommendations arising out of the council’s Local Transport Review, which originally proposed scrapping the 503, Hambledon’s only public transport service.

503 bus under threat again, January 2016 (2)

After public consultation and a campaign by Hambledon Parish Council and supported by residents, the review recommended retaining the 503, which operates three times a week, twice in each direction, and connects Hambledon and Hydestile with banks, surgeries and shops in Milford, Godalming and beyond. The 523 Godalming to Milford Hospital service has also been reprieved.

Both services are operated by Stagecoach but subsidised by Surrey County Council. SCC has been looking to make savings on the money it pays in support of rural bus services and the review has achieved this aim without necessitating the withdrawal of the 503 and 523.

There may be some alterations to the service, subject to further discussion (see earlier news item).

In the meantime the current timetable can be found on this website under the “Home” page link and then clicking on “Travel Info”.

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Hambledon Parish Plan

Following a good debate at the Parish Assembly on 14 April, the Parish Council agreed at its meeting on 17 May that, as was the case with the 2003 Plan, its preparation should be overseen by a steering committee. Robin Knibb has kindly agreed to lead this, but he will need a handful of dedicated villagers to help with a wide variety of tasks.

The Parish Council has decided that, if the new Plan is to have official credence, it should be based on responses to a questionnaire. The one that was delivered to all households as a prelude to producing the 2003 Plan remains a useful model but it will need to be re-visited and up-dated so as to elicit details of Hambledon’s current demography, developments affecting the village that have occurred over the past 13 years and ideas that have so far emerged as to topics which the new Plan might cover.

The original questionnaire was hand-delivered to and collected from individual households in the village but this time it should be possible to offer everyone the option of receiving and returning a paper copy or completing it on-line via the village web site. Jon Petersen has very kindly agreed to produce the new questionnaire and to input and analyse data provided by the responses.

What does our community want for its future? Long-established residents, new arrivals, different household types and different age groups will all have their particular wish lists. It is really important that all of these are reflected in the make-up of the steering committee. So, even if you haven’t so far thought of getting involved in village activities, do stop for a moment and consider whether you could contribute to an exercise whose aim is to ensure that Hambledon remains the kind of village that persuaded you to move here in the first place.

You can contact Robin direct by e-mail, [email protected], or telephone 01428 683800/07836 228671; but if you would first like a bit more background to help you make up your mind please contact Parish Clerk Jane Woolley ([email protected]; 01428 684213).