Opinion: Mobile Catering Van Proposal at Whitmoor Common Car Park

Published on: 25 Jun, 2016
Updated on: 29 Jun, 2016

By Frank Phillipson

As part of Surrey County Council’s (SCC) plan to make Surrey Wildlife Trust’s (SWT) management of the county councils estates self financing, they have proposed in their joint 2014 Business Plan “to lease mobile catering pitches at car parks” at Chobham Common and Whitmoor Common.

With regard to Whitmoor Common they must almost certainly mean the car park on Salt Box Road which is the main and most readily visible one and not that on Burdenshott Road.

Apart from being visually intrusive, this proposal would represent an intensification of use resulting in additional vehicle movements to and from the car park.

This car park is already very popular with walkers and dog walkers with its direct access from a road that is used as a main alternative route around the north of Guildford.

An indication of its popularity is that on the afternoon of March 13, 2016 at 4.15pm the car park was full and cars were parked along the verge at the front of the site. The likelyhood of this occurring more frequently will increase as the weather becomes better in the summer. There is therefore no room to accommodate additional vehicles visiting the site.

Cars parked along the verge at the front of the car park.

At this location Salt Box Road is subject to a 60mph speed limit. Visibility from the access is adequate to the east but is very seriously restricted to the west during summer months by undergrowth (mainly ferns) impinging into the visibility zone. Any vehicles parked along the verge to the front of the car park similarly impede visibility from the access. These are serious highway safety issues.

Westward sight line in March and June 2016 (from Salt Box Road car park access).

The access is only single width which means that any vehicle waiting to enter the car park must wait on the road if a vehicle is exiting. This leaves these vehicles vulnerable to shunt type accidents and also interferes with the free flow of traffic.

Vehicle leaving single width car park access.

The access is only formed at the carriageway edge by a single width drop kerb crossing. To avoid tyre/wheel damage vehicles entering from the west need to swing out over the centre line of the road as do vehicles exiting to the east.

Three pictures showing a car exiting car park to the east.

If there were an intensification of use it would be necessary to provide a double width access with a bellmouth radius kerb line.

A further highway safety issue is that there is a public footpath which crosses the road at the access point to the car park. Intensification of use would therefore be detrimental to pedestrian safety.

Access to Salt Box Road with footpath finger boards shown on each side of the road.

Any proposal for a mobile catering van would very likely require a Change of Use planning application for an area of the car park to a trading place. It is also possible that any catering van would need to have Street Trading Licence and a Food Hygiene Certificate.

Whitmoor Common is designated as being part of “Thames Basin Heaths, Special Protection Area” (SPA). As such there is a presumption to provide alternative green space to prevent any increase in visitor pressure from new developments on the SPA.

A “Suitable Accessible Natural Green Space” (SANGS) is the name given to alternative green spaces to divert visitors away from the SPA. At present there is a planning application for a ‘SANG’ at Russell Place Farm, Frog Grove Lane, Wood Street Village.

Siting of a mobile catering van at Whitmoor Common would represent an intensified use of the common contrary to National Planning Policy Framework and Guildford Local Plan policy RE2.

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