THERE has been a double blow to a campaign to curb commuter parking in residential streets near Farnham Station, with knock-backs coming from both train operators and Surrey County Council.

On the one hand, South West Trains has revealed that a 200-space second tier is no longer on the cards for the Farnham Station car park, though a smaller scheme may be contemplated.

On the other, Surrey County Council has unveiled what amounts to a much watered down version of new parking restrictions that residents have been seeking for two years.

There was a mixed reaction - in some cases an angry one - from around 200 members of the South Farnham Residents' Association who heard the proposed scheme explained at their agm by Surrey County Council's local highways manager, John Hilder.

The area, with three schools, a hospice and level crossing tailbacks to contend with, is reduced to an obstacle course for motorists by the current haphazard parking permitted.

Association secretary Pamela Pownall referred to gridlock at certain times of day, with buses and lorries becoming stuck and the dangers of pavements being used as a roadway.

Mr Hilder thanked members for the work they had done on the scheme and said many of their proposals guided by safety and maintaining access and traffic flow were being followed.

Extra yellow lines around junctions, limiting of parking to one side of particular roads and extra breaks in long lines of parking bays are among the proposals.

But Mr Hilder said the county council "could not live with" blanket bans on commuter parking being proposed for some roads.

"We are not in the business of preventing commuter parking. We live in the real world and we know that with a station there are demands for parking. It is not our job to try and eliminate and deter that."

Some bays are to be restricted to four hours' parking, for the benefit of residents' visitors and visitors to the hospice.

But Mr Hilder warned residents of roads such as Broomleaf Road and Lynch Road: "Unless things change and there is more parking at the station, commuter parking is likely to increase and creep along the road."

The county's proposals will go before the Waverley Local Committee on December 12 and, after a period for the public to make any objections, new yellow lines should start to appear in March or April.

Residents' association chairman Zofia Lovell urged the audience to have their say in the consultation.

"Nobody is more disappointed that I am that we are not going to get rid of commuters full-stop. But this is a foot in the door. We mustn't throw this opportunity away."

Others were less optimistic. "We've waiting two years and we are no further forward," protested one resident.

And Charles Stuart, of Lynch Road, angrily described commuter parking as "a nightmare and a curse", adding: "We are not interested in tinkering with yellow lines."

Surrey county councillor Pat Frost stressed the importance of ensuring that once new restrictions were in place they were properly enforced.

She said proposals for more parking at the station "had not died a death" and she was due to attend a meeting with the rail authorities on December 10 on that very subject.

"It has to be a priority," she added, particularly in view of the fact that Bordon, which is to become an eco-town with thousands of new homes, does not have a station. "They have to build a halt somewhere or increase parking."

However, almost a year on from the announcement that the 350-space car park at Farnham Station would have a 200-space second tier the project has stalled.

South West Trains commented last December that they expected plans to be submitted "early in the new year" and work to have commence "by the end of the year".

The daily charge at the car park was raised to £4.50 from £4, apparently to fund the development.

But a spokesman for SWT said this week that the business case had not stacked up.

"We are looking to do something but a smaller scheme than was originally intended.

"There will be more spaces but not to the extent of the original plans."

SWT was unable to give any indication of how many spaces exactly this would be or when it would be happening.