COUNCILS have again failed to deliver on pledges to look seriously at Farnham’s chronic pollution problem.

At a pollution summit hosted by the Herald last October, Surrey and Waverley agreed to work on a plan.

Summit chairman Jeremy Hunt asked for the reports to be completed by the end of January, giving them more than three months to look again at the issues.

The deadline had passed. And what has been delivered? Nothing.

No-one at that meeting said the deadline was impossible to meet. They have chosen to ignore those promises.

Today, an open letter to Surrey and Waverley written by MP Mr Hunt, Surrey councillors Stephen Spence, Andy Mcleod (who also sits on the Farnham and Waverley authorities) and Wyatt Ramsdale (also a Waverley member), as well as Alan Gavaghan of the Farnham Society and architect Jim Duffy, expressed their concern.

Their letter says: “Last year, after many years of dithering and procrastination, both your councils took an enormous step forward by agreeing to fund the development of a masterplan for the centre of Farnham.

“£80,000 was allocated for a project manager on the back of a widespread consensus in the town that only a solution involving some form of pedestrianisation was likely to tackle the pollution emergency in the town centre.

“Many admired pictures by local architect Jim Duffy that showed how the Borough, Castle Street and Downing Street could be transformed in a fully-costed plan, finally ridding Farnham of the curse of heavy traffic travelling right through the middle of our beautiful, historic town centre.

“At the pollution summit in Farnham on October 25, the deputy leader of Waverley committed that a Farnham town centre plan would be published to take this forward by the end of January, with a plan to deal with pollution throughout the town following in April.

“We are deeply concerned the January deadline has now passed without any sign of a plan.

“We hear rumours the money has been used up on a report from consultants RegenCo that has neither a traffic plan nor costings for the town which, if true, would be very disappointing. We also hear suggestions progress on the town centre has been deprioritised in favour of Hickleys Corner, a project we warmly welcome but as part of the masterplan and not a replacement for the plans to tackle pollution in the town centre.

“We urgently ask you to:

n Ensure funding is in place for a project manager so there is continuity of leadership as the masterplan is developed;

n To make sure a fully-costed plan, including traffic modelling, is published by the end of March;

n To ensure the masterplan includes all elements necessary to Farnham’s transformation including Hickley’s Corner, the Wrecclesham bypass, cycling routes, public transport, the tackling of pollution and pedestrianisation.

“We also urge you to publish your estimates of what funds might be available and what the estimated funding gap is to deliver the first stage of town centre transformation in time for the opening of the new developments at Brightwells and the Woolmead.

“We stand ready to support you in trying to secure any additional funding necessary.

“Farnham has waited a long time to make this happen – but we finally have strong consensus to proceed.

“Please do not make us wait any longer.”