Letter: Proposed Ash Bridge – A Square Peg For a Round Hole

Published on: 29 Jun, 2019
Updated on: 28 Jun, 2019

The proposed route of the new Ash flyover or bridge. Image courtesy GBC.

From Lisa Wright

In response to: Proposed Ash Bridge – There Are Still Questions to Answer

Yet again, GBC tries desperately to try and fit a square peg in a round hole.

It’s obvious the funding hasn’t been agreed. If they assume the required funding will be sought in full from local housing developments we can assume all promises from developers of any affordable housing will quickly be redacted and that money will be eaten up by the cost of the new bridge.

I would assume that CIL (Community Infrastructure Levy) money will also be required from the other Guildford sites such as Wisley and Blackwell Farm, diminishing the contributions to their own infrastructure requirements.

Why haven’t the residents been involved from the start? Why has GBC put forward letters of support from residents dated before they were even consulted? Why hasn’t the cost of compulsory purchase of land been included in the figures? Why haven’t traffic studies of the impact of these houses and new bridge been modelled for Normandy, Aldershot, Pirbright and Guildford?

So in short, no proper consultation. No affordable housing for Ash and Tongham. Traffic nightmare for everyone living anywhere near the site and anyone using the A323, A324, A331 and the A31 Hogs Back. What about the impact on the SPA at Ash Ranges with all that standing traffic?

I’d like to know who exactly was pushing this through at SCC and GBC?

Let’s hope the new councillors at GBC can lend some guidance to their planning team who seem to have consistently presented infrastructure and housing developments over the last five years on the back of a fag packet.