Opinion: Seven Years of Inaction Is Not Good Enough

Published on: 11 Feb, 2026
Updated on: 11 Feb, 2026

An aerial view of Broadwater Park, once the home to a nine-hole golf course.

By Cllr Daniel Husseini

Conservative Waverley borough councillor for Godalming Binscombe & Charterhouse

Cllr Daniel Husseni

Since my election to Waverley Borough Council, I have pushed hard for progress on the redevelopment of Broadwater Park in Farncombe. It is very frustrating to see yet more delays to this vital project.

Seven whole years after the golf course closed down, it still remains neglected; no real work has started apart from some site testing and preparatory scans of the land.

Last year, Liberal Democrat council leader Paul Follows promised site investigations would be completed by August 2025, a Surrey County Council application submitted, and design options would be put to the public by December 2025. But costs have ballooned beyond the £250k budget – on top of £360k spent since 2019 – keeping the site stuck in limbo.

The former golf club site at Broadwater Park, now in ruins

In my view, Broadwater Park could be the jewel in the crown of Farncombe, drawing in tourists and boosting the local economy while providing sports facilities for residents. The site has great potential but progress to date has been lethargic.

At Waverley’s full council meeting on January 27, Cllr Follows’ reply to my written question on the situation was vague in detail and legalistic, using legal jargon and caveats.

While he announced hiring “specialist consultants” for Broadwater Park’s initial phase, he made it clear that the £602k outlined for spending on the park is only a “prudent reserve” – “not a commitment”. Hardly reassuring.

Here is how I responded to his answer…

At this late stage, with Waverley Borough Council’s end days in sight, title searches are still being conducted as well as bringing in “consultants…to address the landfill on the site”. Yet this is a topic Cllr Follows has repeatedly assured residents he is confident of being able to deal with and that the capping of the landfill will generate income. So why does he need to bring in consultants now? And why were they not brought in sooner?

In a tense exchange in the council chamber, I was interrupted by both Cllr Follows and the Mayor of Waverley whilst setting the context for my follow up question. I stated; “It’s seven years now since the former Broadwater Golf Club was closed, three years since the public was asked what facilities they would like to see at the park. And according to the timeline you (Cllr Paul Follows) put forward in public last year, it will be a whopping 11 years between the closure of the golf club and the completion of the new facilities.”

“I’m sorry, but after seven years of inaction, the public will be just as disappointed as I am with the answer I’ve been given. “We are appointing consultants to understand how to address the landfill.” Really?” Is that where we are, seven years on!

I then pointed out the contrast of Broadwater Park being described as a “Priority Project”, whilst knowing that the response to my question lacked a strong commitment to get the job done.

So I phrased my question as simply as possible, in the hopes of receiving a clear answer. “Can we have some certainty tonight? Will any physical building works commence before the dissolution of Waverley in 2027? And how will the leader ensure the project is not stalled with the move to West Surrey Unitary?”

In typical, Follows’ fashion, the council leader’s answer was evasive, blaming the Conservatives, COVID, and Local Government Reorganisation – offering no specifics on costs, timelines, or when building works will start.

Unfortunately, the Lib Dem administration continues to reject offers of help and excludes opposition councillors from the Broadwater Park Working Group, despite repeated calls for openness.

We need cross-party cooperation to get this project moving not further divisiveness. I personally, find it unhelpful that each time I ask Mr Follows a question on Broadwater Park progress, his reflex reply is to label the delay a Conservative failure, despite his party being in office for seven years!

There comes a time when blaming the administration that came before you begins to look ridiculous and frankly comical.

Conservative group leader, Jane Austin, added that: “The Lib Dems reclaimed the site at huge expense – but now admit redevelopment won’t finish until at least 2031. That’s 11 years unused, twice as long as it took to organise the 2012 Olympics. Godalming deserves better than endless delays and secrecy.”

In 2023 more than 2,000 residents took part in the council’s own survey about what facilities they wanted to see at Broadwater Park. Many called for a skate park, amongst other popular ideas including running tracks, bike pump tracks, dog walking routes and others. Their hopes are now being left to gather dust alongside the derelict site itself.

Godalming councillor Peter Martin says “Waverley Borough Council is set to be absorbed by the new West Surrey Unitary Council in April 2027.   It looks very possible that this administration will finish without delivering anything at Broadwater Park leaving the new authority to pick up the pieces.”

For the full exchange between Cllr Follows and Cllr Husseini click the link here and skip to timestamp 2:29:06.

See Cllr Husseini’s formal written question by clicking this link and scrolling to Question 7.

Share This Post