"SAVE our lane from destruction" is the plea from residents of an ancient sunken lane in the middle of Haslemere. The residents of Farnham Lane are concerned about the increasing amount of traffic in the lane and the large number of planning applications being approved in the area. Speaking out at a recent Haslemere Town Council planning and highways committee meeting, David Precious, representing the residents, voiced fears over the issue. "The lane is slowly being destroyed. There have always been problems, because there is no pavement, no lighting and high banks on either side of the road. Now, he said, "the banks are beginning to fall and cracks are developing in the road." The situation had become so dangerous, he claimed, that one disabled resident who uses a mobility vehicle was unable to leave the house. "As it is a single-track road with passing spaces, residents constantly have to dive out of the way of traffic as it comes through the lane," continued Mr Precious. And he added: "Not to mention the postman, who has been knocked over on two occasions." Mr Precious also claimed that developers were constructing buildings that were bigger than the approved plans. He said: "We are asking Haslemere Town Council for help to protect the ancient sunken lane, which is of great historical interest." Fellow resident Mark Whitlock attended the meeting and told the committee that "the infrastructure of Farnham Lane cannot handle the expansion with which it is being faced". He said: "We also have a problem of four- wheel drive vehicles and motorbikes using the lane in groups at weekends," referring to the "bridleway open to traffic" (BOAT) at the top of Farnham Lane, leading onto Hindhead commons. "This is a real danger and an accident waiting to happen," declared Mr Whitlock. Members of Haslemere Town Council were keen to support the views expressed by residents of the lane, but said there was little they could do at the present time. Town councillor and former mayor Jean Arrick told the meeting: "We are very aware of the lane, but we can only give our sympathy and support. "We don't have any real power to help solve the problem." James Mackie added: "I am very concerned about the claims that developers are building bigger houses than permitted and this is something we will be looking into." The council recognised that the age of the lane, combined with the increase in traffic, was was putting great pressure on the land. Mayor Michael Dover told the committee: "The lane is unsatisfactory for the needs that it has. At the moment, it just can't cope." Adding to the problems is the increase in traffic following "garden grabbing", where houses are permitted to be built by developers in the back gardens of people's homes
