Effingham Eye: Building Plans, Parish Council News, Exercise Loops And More

Published on: 10 Oct, 2019
Updated on: 13 Oct, 2019

Chris Dick gives his personal monthly round-up of some recent  local events. These include parish council updates, talentless graffiti, other views on traffic problems, exhibition attendance figures, yet more houses for Effingham, free to use exercise loops initiative, more plans for Church Street development and more.

This past month has seen more going on in and around Effingham than I could cover.

Regrettably no mention of the harvest supper and little about Heritage Day. Two highly popular events but, when trying to cover so many local events, I am reminded of my old boss who once said: “You can only shoot the crocodiles nearest the canoe.”

Thankfully the Effingham Residents Association website and the village magazine Roundabout Effingham cover many of the bits I’ve missed. That said, it would be great to hear from any sporting enthusiasts about how Effingham Rugby Club is getting on and of course Bookham Colts with the new all-weather pitch.

Parish Council news

 The Effingham Parish Council (EPC) meeting, in the absence of Cllr Ian Symes, was chaired by his deputy Cllr Arnold Pindar at the King George V (KGV) Village Hall on September 24.

The meeting was short by council standards as much of the preparatory work had already been carried out by the various working groups.

In particular the numerous planning applications had thankfully been subject to a working group planning review and, as a result, little more than formal decisions were required.

Perhaps it should be gently mentioned that the balance of council transparency at public meetings and private, behind the scenes, working group decisions will no doubt be carefully monitored by the council.

It was good to hear that the second edition of the parish Roundabout Effingham hardcopy magazine had been completely self-funded thanks to the efforts of Cllr Cliff Hackett. Cliff informed those present that the next edition would go out in the spring.

Orchard garden project The Street / Chapel Hill before work starts.

Cllr Pindar updated councillors on a church initiative to clear the scrubland opposite the Methodist Chapel alongside The Street. The intention would be to create an orchard and ensure that some of the produce was received by those needing it most. SCC owns the land and is supporting the volunteers with information about where and where not to plant.

Although the Woodland Trust can provide trees free of charge on request, as part of a government initiative, it was thought that fruit trees might not be available as they do not live as long as say oak trees.

While the above project is a wonderful initiative, it is a disappointment to residents and people passing through to see paint daubed on a resident’s fence above the scrubland.

St Lawrence Church clock appeal

The St Lawrence clock and chimes are soon to be repaired and updated.

Following St Lawrence church’s request for parish council community funding, EPC has granted £2,800 towards the cost of repair of the clock and chimes.

Straying across the border

Readers concerned about traffic on Lower Road may well be interested in the concerns of some of those in Little Bookham.

Local democracy reporter Rebecca Curley investigated views of residents living in the Bookhams. They told her that the number of vehicles reported to be careering down country roads during school rush hour and throughout the day had become such a concern for some village residents that they had taken to the streets to carry out their own traffic survey.

Part of Rebecca Curley’s report stated: “Residents and visitors to The Grange in Little Bookham have been stationed out on Rectory Lane for three weeks at three times of the day to track the number of vehicles going past.

“The adults and young people who have physical and learning disabilities say they have problems navigating footpaths and crossing the roads when it is busy which can often increase their emotional anxiety.

“So they have decided to look at the problem themselves, record their own data and they will then present this to Surrey County Council and Mole Valley District Council Local Committee later this year.”

Heritage Day success

Jeremy Palmer, the Barnes Wallis Exhibition co-curator, pictured at the Tithe Barn Exhibition on Heritage Day.

This year Heritage Day took place on Saturday, September 14. There were nine buildings open to the public in the immediate area of Effingham and Little Bookham.

Organisers and volunteers, in particular historian Vivien White and co-curator Jeremy Palmer, were delighted to find that more than 1,000 visitors had attended the Tithe Barn in Little Bookham to view the Barnes Wallis Exhibition.

The exhibition had been been supported by Brooklands Museum. The latter had kindly provided many items associated with Barnes Wallis’s inventions and in particular the Second World War bouncing bomb. A device deployed by the Royal Air Force 617 Squadron to destroy the Ruhr Dams.

Berkeley Homes submit boundary changes

In a current planning application the boundaries of the new Howard of Effingham School have been reduced from those submitted at the planning appeal.

In particular, the green space alongside Lower Road has been much reduced and the size of the playing fields also appears to have been reduced. These boundary alterations could affect the views to Thornet Wood from Lower Road and remove or reduce the green gap between the villages.

Berkeley Homes is seeking approval for these changes to bridge a funding shortfall of £8 million. Its intention is to build a further 55 homes.

Anyone who wishes to comment on the planning application 19/P/01451, should do so by October 14 via Guildford Borough Council’s planning department’s website here.

The closing date for comments was October 4, but an extension has been granted for groups such as Effingham Parish Council and Effingham Residents Association.

The borough council usually accepts comments from others until the new deadline.

Possible grant money from Guildford Borough Counicl

King George V playing fields.

As the custodian trustee of the King George V playing fields, Effingham Parish Council has submitted a joint funding request to Guildford Borough Council.

The project, that will cost Effingham residents a total of less than £4,000, is to mark out a 1km and a 2km loop in the playing field for walking and jogging – to help people who might want to set goals for themselves or who just want steady exercise.

A noticeboard with map, marker posts and benches will be installed. The loops will be available free to use. They will be created economically by joining up existing paths to create interesting and varied journeys which will pass over a mixture of grassed park, hardened path surfaces and tracks.

The parish council’s grant application states: “The appearance and presentation will be relaxed and suitably rustic, in keeping with the overall mood of these rural grounds, not high-spec requiring ongoing high maintenance. Whilst there is no lack of places to walk or jog in this part of the borough, a measured track would be a significant and innovative addition to facilities for fitness.”

The application adds: “An intention is to be able to hold the 2km junior Parkrun events (national initiative, https://www.parkrun.org.uk) for 4-14 year olds, creating the opportunity for the sort of community events Effingham residents frequently say they want.”

Church Street development 

Millgate plans for 20 units on Church Street field.

Some residents may have just received yet another letter from Millgate regarding the proposed Church Street development of the old school field.

This time Millgate has reduced the height of the buildings to two stories high and the number of units to 20. The overall number is still over double that agreed by residents and Effingham Parish Council in the officially adopted Effingham Neighbourhood Plan.

The layout is better with more space between properties which have been moved back from the boundaries creating a more open setting than the previous plans.

However, there appears to be a bizarre wide separate access off Church Street for those living in the affordable housing units.

This additional access will inevitably adversely affect the views along this part of the conservation area. But, if it transpires that those possibly less economically well off must use a separate side entrance instead of Lower Road, it is surely both unacceptable and repugnant.

Maybe it is not an objection on planning grounds but what sort of community do we want to live where the less well off are treated like pariahs?

And finally…

Steam Dreams’ locomotive and train arrives at Weymouth.

Thanks to the Effingham resident who kindly sent in his photo of last month’s steam train as it arrived at Weymouth station having been pictured in the September edition of the Effingham Eye as it steamed through Effingham earlier the same day.

Share This Post