Letter: Planners Were Warned that Siting of Onslow Park & Ride Was Problematic

Published on: 10 Aug, 2017
Updated on: 10 Aug, 2017

From Bob McShee

Conservative borough councillor for Worplesdon

The saga of the Onslow Park & Ride car park goes on. See: Council Intends to Stop Non-Park & Ride Motorists Using Onslow Car Park.

When the planning application came before the GBC Planning Committee, I said that the siting of the Park & Ride car park would not be viable due to the difficult ingress and egress from the A3. This has proved to be the case and the car park is currently costing GBC £300,000 per annum to run, which Guildford residents are funding.

Could the land where the Park & Ride is located now be regarded as “previously developed land” and be used for much-needed student or social housing?

Also, as suggested by John Robson in his comment on the report, if it is to remain a Park & Ride car park, then some of the spaces should be allocated for hospital staff.

Responses to Letter: Planners Were Warned that Siting of Onslow Park & Ride Was Problematic

Bernard Parke Reply

August 10, 2017 at 3:22 pm

The unfortunate point is that these people do not seem to want to listen to the residents in this and other areas who have to live with these problems.

Blackwell Farm seems also to fall into this category.
Martin Elliott Reply

August 10, 2017 at 4:29 pm

As Bob McShee should know from being a councillor during planning applications, the lease negotiated with the university only allows parking for Park & Ride, not local parking such as hospital or university staff.

So suggesting allocation of parking to staff is pointless.

On the wider front, do any of the Park & Ride sites of GBC break even without subsidies from elsewhere in the parking budget, fees or fines?

Are P&Rs just another policy from Conservative Central Office along with “modal shift”. They may be put forward as a utopian desire, but where is the evidence that the majority of GB residents support them.
Bibhas Neogi Reply

August 10, 2017 at 6:38 pm

A 10m wide strip of land had been reserved for the widening of the A3. It may be possible to run the off-slip along this route and entry into and exit from the Park & Ride could be connected to this.

Is Highways England exploring this possibility? We do not know but it seems to me a good idea and this also means that the widening of the northbound lanes on this stretch would not be necessary.

The merge problem of A31 on-slip with the A3 could also be resolved if the nearside lane is taken through a tunnel under the Hog’s Back to a signalised junction with the re-aligned A31 on-slip. Both these could be opened up to two lanes prior to this junction to increase capacity and then two lanes proceed to meet up with the existing alignment that is currently hatched out to form a single lane for safety. This would be opened up and the widening starting beyond the arch bridge. Lane 1 then could be a dedicated off-slip to Tesco roundabout as described above.

As usual, a sketch exists on my website under A3 Improvements. It would be a great help if the Highways England could consider doing this and if so, carry out the scheme as advanced works.
Lisa Wright Reply

August 11, 2017 at 9:11 am

Surely it doesn’t actually cost £300,000 to run the site? Does that include a rent payment to the university?

Do we know what the breakdown of those costs are and what costs are off set by parking income?