Waverley Borough Council has agreed to review whether to extend Farnham’s £1 after 1pm parking scheme into the new year during the planned closure of The Borough.

The scheme is due to run from Tuesday, December 9, until Thursday, January 1, with the possibility of an extension into March now dependent on evidence of its impact.

The Borough roadworks are expected to be the toughest phase of the Farnham Infrastructure Programme to date, with frustration high among residents and businesses over the ongoing Downing Street works as the town approaches the new year.

A motion proposed by the Conservative opposition at Waverley Borough Council’s Full Council meeting on Tuesday, December 2, called for the scheme to be extended into the new year for the duration of the works.

Parking has become a hot topic in the town after Surrey County Council proposed free on-street parking for Farnham, prompting Waverley Borough Council to offer its own changes to parking fees.

Waverley Borough Council must consider whether continuing the scheme while a major road is closed could create additional congestion. More cars drawn into WBC car parks by the £1 offer could lead to traffic problems on a larger scale than those caused by the Downing Street works, as noted by Cllr Peter Clark.

However, the council must also weigh the impact of the roadworks on town centre trade, with businesses and residents fearing that a further drop could have serious consequences.

Leader of the Conservative opposition Cllr Jane Austin said: “Our motion tonight calls for an extension of the current £1 after 1pm car parking scheme implemented for the Christmas period in Farnham.

“Continuing, we now propose from the 2nd of January to 1 March 2026 across all Waverley car parks in Farnham. We believe when business, shoppers and employees across Waverley need help, we should be there to support them.

“In Farnham they should not be left to temporarily carry the burden of improvements that will ultimately benefit the whole community. The FIP will ultimately improve Farnham, but what we cannot ignore is the scale and duration of the disruption.

“With possibly the most destructive work ahead of us with the closure of The Borough due to commence in January for 12 weeks, Conservatives now call for members to act to protect local economic vitality. We recognise this is an exceptional period for Farnham and, even though I’m not a Farnham councillor, I recognise when it is important to offer targeted support.”

Cllr George Murray proposed an amendment for the WBC executive to review the evidence and validate the success of the pre-Christmas scheme in Farnham before considering any extension into January. This was seconded by Cllr Fairclough and accepted by Cllr Austin.

Waverley Borough Council leader Cllr Paul Follows said: “Thank you for accepting the amendment. What we are trying to do here is to make sure we reflect on the evidence of the scheme and that it meets the objectives of all three councils involved to help trade in Farnham and not make things worse or have no impact.”

The amended motion was carried with near-unanimous support, with 38 votes in favour and one abstention from the 39 councillors present.