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Parish Assembly – Ideas for new Parish Plan

The annual Parish Assembly, held on Thursday evening at the village hall, was well attended and produced a number of ideas to be included in the proposed new Parish Plan.

The Parish Plan is a formal document taken into account by public authorities such as Waverley Borough Council when considering issues that involve Hambledon, especially planning and highways. It is also a point of reference for Hambledon Parish Council in its work to help fulfill the aims and ambitions of village residents.

Following a report of the parish council’s activities over the past year as well as those of various village organisations, the assembly heard ideas from residents on what they would like to be included in the new Parish Plan.

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High on the list was a request, led by Hambletots, for a small play area for children, ideally somewhere close to the village shop.  This idea had a lot of support.  It was pointed out that play equipment need not be made of intrusive coloured plastics and could be made of wood to suit the rural environment of the shop, pond and cricket green.

Other suggestions included improved drainage for the cricket pitch, a public toilet for the use of visitors to the shop and its cafe and provision of a bike rack, as the shop is regularly used by cyclists. On the issue of cycling, it was pointed out that the village was on the route of many organised cycle events. The poor state of road edges presented a danger. It was suggested that, given the number of events, maybe external funding could be found to carry out improvements.

There was also support for the retention of the 503 bus service, currently under threat (see earlier news items) and concern that car parks at the two nearest railway stations, Witley and Milford, were now at capacity. It was recognised that any new development at the Dunsfold Aerodrome site would only add to the problem, along with associated traffic problems on the narrow, rural village roads.

The Parish Council is currently gathering ideas for the new Parish Plan. It is likely that a steering group made up of councillors and villagers will be established to take the plan forward.

Tomorrow (Saturday) is the annual village clean-up, this year tied in with Clean For The Queen in recognition of Her Majesty’s 90th birthday. Villagers are asked to gather any litter and bring it to a collection point at the shop where, starting at around midday, a free barbecue will be held for volunteer litter pickers.

 Village clean-up 2011 4

In the afternoon a jumble sale will be held at the Village Hall to raise funds for its maintenance.

 

 

 

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MORE HOMES…NO BUSES?

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Hambledon residents have until this weekend to write in support of the village’s threatened bus service, the 503. The consultation period ends on Monday (March 14th) at 9am.

Surrey County Council, which subsidises the 503 and other rural bus routes, wants to hear the views of villagers before making a final decision on the fate of the service. It is reviewing all bus routes in the county as it looks to make cuts to its budget.

Details of the Local Transport Review can be found at https://www.surreysays.co.uk/e-i-directorate-programme-group/ltr

Hambledon Parish Council strongly opposes the proposal to axe the 503. It is asking Surrey County Council to reconsider the issue and perhaps look to amalgamate the service with the 523 Milford Hospital service, which is also under threat. With more than 100 new homes being built beside the hospital, and a proposal to build affordable homes at Lane End, Hambledon, the council believes Surrey County Council should examine how to better integrate the service before making a final decision.

Here is Hambledon Parish Council’s submission to the Surrey County Council review.

Continue reading →

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HAVE YOUR SAY ON HAMBLEDON’S THREATENED BUS SERVICE

Surrey County Council has arranged a public walk-in session in Godalming to discuss the proposed changes to local bus services, including its intention to axe the 503, Hambledon’s only bus service.

It will take place next Friday (February 26) at the Crown Court car park where representatives of SCC and the operators Stagecoach will be in attendance on a bus. Residents can drop in at anytime between 10 am and 12 noon to discuss the proposed changes and to express their views.

SCC, faced with budget cuts, is looking to further reduce the subsidy it pays to bus operators to keep rural routes operating.  Some areas will see alterations or reductions but Hambledon will be hit hard because it is proposed to withdraw the 503 altogether.

A final decision will be made after the current period of consultation ends on March 14.  Hambledon Parish Council is opposing the scrapping of the 503, which it regards as a vital link for many, especially the elderly, to reach shops, banks and surgeries.

Residents who wish the service to continue are urged to make their views known. They can do so online at www.surreycc.gov.uk/transportreview or by phoning 0300 200 1003 to request a copy of the questionnaire to be sent to their home. Copies can also be obtained from libraries and council offices.

  • If you know of someone who will be affected by the withdrawal of the 503 who is unlikely to read this online story, please contact them and pass on details of the drop-in session and the public consultation.

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Planning for Hambledon’s future – Latest

In 2003 Hambledon produced a Parish Plan to help shape its future.  Since then the Parish Council has examined various other formal frameworks to ensure the village’s ambitions for the years ahead are taken into account by Waverley Borough Council and other authorities.

These have included producing a Village Design Statement and Neighbourhood Plan, a route which some villagers had asked the council to consider.

After seeking professional advice – and taking into account the cost and resources necessary for such measures – it was decided that there were insufficient benefits to justify the time and money involved.

Instead it considered producing a Community Plan, which is smaller in scope that a Neighbourhood Plan and arguably more relevant to a little rural village.

Whichever method the parish council adopted for drawing up a blueprint for the future, it would require financial assistance and community volunteers. In the event neither was forthcoming.

It was hoped that funding for a Community Plan would be awarded by the Big Lottery Fund and that sufficient villagers would volunteer to participate in its preparation.

However, The Big Lottery, which distributes National Lottery money for community causes, turned down the request. The application had been carefully prepared with professional help. But Big Lottery experts could not see why a Community Plan was required to address the needs and issues set out in the application.  (This point had also been raised in previous advice given to the Parish Council, including from Waverley Borough Council.)

The second set back was that one month after an appeal for volunteers appeared in the Parish Magazine and on the village website only six responses had been received.

So it’s back to the drawing board.

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Although there have been changes since Hambledon produced its Parish Plan in 2003, it would be difficult to improve on its objectives.  The Parish Council has therefore decided to continue using it as a base document but to up-date it and re-issue it, either in its existing form or in a new format and perhaps with a more appropriate title.

Village organisations and individuals are therefore being asked what would make Hambledon a better place for them and their activities.

The responses will be incorporated in a discussion paper which will be made widely available early in April.  The paper will then be discussed and questions arising from it addressed at the Parish Assembly on 16 April.  Funds for printing the completed plan have been included in the 2016-17 budget. It will also be available on the village web site.

So, in thanking those who did volunteer to help with a Community Plan, the Parish Council  now asks them and as many other villagers as possible to give some thought as to what they think would make Hambledon an even better place in which to live.

Examining the 2003 Parish Plan and its most recent up-date might be a good point from which to start. This can be found on this web site here: Parish Plan documents . Or you can ask the Clerk ( via email, or telephone 01428 684213) for a hard copy

Please make sure that comments are either posted by leaving a comment on this article, or sent to the Clerk by 15 March so that they can be included in the discussion document.

 

 

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Hambledon 503 Bus service under threat… again

Surrey County Council is proposing to axe the 503, Hambledon’s only bus service.

Having won a reprieve in 2012, once again the county council is making further spending cuts including the subsidy that keeps the 503 operating.

This time the village faces a big battle to keep its bus, even though the need for the service remains as great as ever.

If you want to comment on the proposal then please complete the Surrey Council questionnaire online at www.surreycc.gov.uk/transportreview or fill in a paper version available in libraries and local council offices.  Or you can request a copy in the post by calling 0300 200 1003. The deadline is Monday March 14.

SCC will then consider responses to the consultation and final proposals will be debated on May 24. The outcome will be announced in June and changes will come into effect in September.

If you care about the future of Hambledon’s bus, which provides the only public service link to shops/banks/surgeries in Milford, Godalming and Guildford then please take part in the consultation. SCC is suggesting the bus could be replaced by a dial-a-ride service.

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Many older residents in the village rely on the 503, which currently operates on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, twice in each direction.

A handful of residents join the bus in Hambledon and others board as it stops the in Manor Fields and Chapel Lane estates in Milford.

Because of its importance to these passengers, the Stagecoach-operated service is subsidised by Surrey County Council to keep it running. But continuing cuts in funding to local authorities by Central Government are taking their toll.

And this at a time when the need for public transport, and the energy and environmental savings it brings, could not be more important.

Additionally, an affordable housing development at Orchard Farm is currently under consideration. The 503 starts on its doorstep at Lane End. The bus also travels close to the new 100-homes development off Tuesley Lane. Continue reading →

Superfast Broadband – Equal Access for All

Superfast broadband is being rolled out across the country, primarily by BT Openreach but in Hambledon’s case assisted by government via Surrey County Council. Superfast, with its new fibre optic cabling to roadside cabinets, enables far greater broadband internet speeds for those residents that take up the superfast fibre service.

Superfast is becoming important to many residents. As more devices such as smartphones, tablets, computers and televisions connect to the internet, the speed of the line is critical. In addition, lack of superfast broadband is impacting house prices as buyers are increasingly checking broadband speeds before buying properties.

There is good news for those of us on the Wormley (01428) exchange who live within about 1.8kms of BT’s cabinet 6 (at the A283/Lane End crossroads). Those Hambledon residents have a choice to sign up for superfast broadband today – simply contact your internet service provider to upgrade immediately. The monthly cost is about the same as the older service. BUT there are a number of villagers on the 01428 exchange who are too far away from the cabinet to be able to receive superfast.

The Parish Council is therefore asking all villagers to complete the following “Expression of Interest” form so that it can quantify those who already can – but in particular those who currently cannot – benefit from superfast. This information will assist it in lobbying BT and Surrey County Council which is shortly going to carry out a review to ascertain how to connect the “hard-to-reach” properties and enable all villagers to receive superfast.

Responding to the “Expression of Interest” does not mean that you have to take up the service. It puts no obligation on anyone but it could help determine future needs and benefit many villagers.

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Hambledon Parish Council Election – Results

The result of the Hambledon Parish Council election has been announced. It is as follows, reproduced here from the Waverley Borough Council website.

Hambledon (7 seats), 73.6% turnout

Name Description Votes Elected?
ANDERSON John Huxley Fordyce   194 Elected
GROVE Mary   221 Elected
HALL David John Logan Independent 153  
JONES Karen Elizabeth   200 Elected
PARRY Mike   218 Elected
PATTINSON Paul George Murray   177 Elected
PAYNE Stewart Frank   224 Elected
STONELEY Colin Desmond   176  
UNDERWOOD Philip John   177 Elected

 

Nine villagers were seeking election for the seven places.  These included six members of the previous parish council – John Anderson, Karen Jones, Mike Parry, Paul Pattinson, Stewart Payne and Philip Underwood.  All have been re-elected.

Also seeking election were Mary Grove, David Hall and Colin Stoneley.  Mary Grove was elected and will be welcomed to Hambledon Parish Council at its next meeting on May 26.  The council has already expressed its gratitude to Peter Spall, who has stood down.

The parish council elections were held last Thursday (May 7), but the count did not take place until Saturday.

Waverley Borough Council elections were also held last Thursday, with the count taking place on Friday. The result for the Witley and Hambledon ward is as follows.

 

Borough Election result for Witley and Hambledon

2015 result 
Witley & Hambledon (2 vacancies)		 Turnout: 74.4%
EGAN Rosaleen UKIP 374  
HALL David John Logan Independent 515  
HOLDER Nick Conservative 1,414 Elected
JAMES Anna Catherine Conservative 1,204 Elected
MANNING Yvonne Wendy Labour 386  

Conservative hold

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Bus Review – What Parish Is Doing To Keep The 503

The consultation period for Surrey County Council’s Local Transport Review has ended and the authority is now considering the future of subsidised rural bus routes, including the 503 Hambledon service.

Details of the review process can be found here – https://www.surreysays.co.uk/e-i-directorate-programme-group/closed-copy-of-ltr

As part of the consultation Hambledon Parish Council made a submission in support of retaining the village’s only bus service, which is operated by Stagecoach but subsidised by SCC. Here is what the council said.

alt“Hambledon Parish Council is grateful for the opportunity to comment on the Local Transport Review following the request by Surrey County Council for feedback from stakeholders.

The Parish Council is aware of the pressures faced by SCC with regard to funding and the need to review spending.

However, it urges SCC to ensure that Hambledon’s only bus service, the 503, remains in operation as it is a vital means of transport for a number of our more vulnerable residents, mostly elderly, living alone and without cars. (It also hopes for the retention, as a daily service, of the 71.)

Please consider this: Hambledon is a small rural village. It has a community store, but otherwise no shops, no banks, no supermarkets and no doctor or dentist surgeries. None of the above are within practical walking distance. To access any of these residents must use a car, or the bus.

The 503 only operates three days a week, twice in each direction.  This means it cannot be used by commuters or schoolchildren. So its passenger numbers are inevitably limited and this must be taken into account when assessing its financial viability. Continue reading →

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Orchard Farm Open Meeting Tonight At 8pm Village Hall

Tonight there is an important opportunity for Hambledon residents to express their views – for, against or anything in between – on the proposal to build 17 new homes, 12 designated as affordable, on land at Orchard Farm, off Wormley Lane.

The meeting has been arranged by Hambledon Parish Council so that it can hear the opinions of residents before it responds to an anticipated planning application by the English Rural Housing Association, which has bought Orchard Farm.

altThe ERHA presented its plans at a display at the Village Hall two weeks ago. Now is the chance to let the parish council know what you think.

As yet no planning application has been submitted and feedback from tonight’s meeting will be passed on to the ERHA before it does so.

The council will open the meeting with a briefing on Affordable Housing and on the Housing Needs Survey, currently in circulation in the village.  ERHA will not be in attendance, nor will representatives of Waverley Borough Council, the planning authority.

Continue reading →

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Press feature local residents

A reporter and photographer from the Haslemere Herald visited Hambledon recently to speak to residents who regularly use the 503 bus route.

The newspaper carried an article about the re-vamped service, which had been under threat, and published a photograph of villagers at the newly-erected bus stop sign at the Village Hall. The photograph is reproduced below with the kind permission of the Haslemere Herald.

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For more details about how villagers and Hambledon Parish Council campaigned to keep the village bus service and subsequent efforts to increase its usage, please see earlier stories on this website.

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Bus Stops return to Hambledon Road

Bus stop signs and timetables have been reinstated along the route of Hambledon’s 503 bus service.

Only long-standing residents knew where the village bus stops were located following removal of the post and flags over the years. Earlier this year Hambledon Parish Council requested that the signs be reinstated as part of an initiative to raise the profile of the 503 service that links the village with Milford, Godalming and Guildford.

After a visit by Surrey County Council engineers it was agreed that three posts and flags would be re-erected; outside the Village Hall, beside the Merry Harriers and at the bus shelter at the Hydestile Crossroads (pictured below).

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Report of Parish Assembly 2010

ImageSurrey County Council has no money available for major resurfacing of Hambledon’s damaged roads, but it will ensure repairs are carried out to a higher standard.

This was the promise given by Dr Andrew Povey, who is both Hambledon’s county councillor and SCC leader.

Dr Povey faced tough questioning by villagers at the annual parish assembly where he was guest speaker. Many raised concerns about the appalling state of local roads and the poor quality of repairs.

Dr Povey said the problem of potholes had been made worse by the severe weather and that repairs to the county’s road were underway. He was told by members of the audience that potholes had been a menace and a danger long before this last winter and that the state of the roads was a consequence of SCC’s faiure to carry out adequate maintenace in recent years.

He was also told repairs to potholes were “botched” and that the holes reappeared at the same locations within weeks of being filled in.

Continue reading →

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Jane Woolley receives MBE

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Jane Woolley has been made an MBE.  It was announced in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for her voluntary services to Hambledon. The whole village sends its congratulations to her for her much deserved award.  Jane travelled to Buckingham Palace this week to receive her award.

The list of Jane’s contributions to village life are numerous. She is clerk to the Parish Council; she was fundamental to the setting up of the Hambledon Village Trust which now owns the freehold of the Village Shop; she walked 70kms in 70 hours aiming to raise £7k to help fund a re-fit of the shop and managed to raise in excess of £9.5k; she is an active member of many of the village clubs; the list goes on. Hambledon would surely be a less strong community if Jane Woolley wasn’t a member.