FUNDING for an underpass at Farnham's notorious blackspot at Hickley's Corner has been given the thumbs down by central government. The £40 million Surrey County Council flagship project to replace the busy the A31 Farnham bypass crossroads with a roundabout and underpass has failed to attract funding from the Government Office for the South East (GOSE). The news has been greeted with bitter disappointment by Farnham South's Conservative county councillor, David Munro, and Lib Dem county councillor Marie King- Hele, who represents Farnham Central. The two have spearheaded the campaign for the urgent traffic improvements over a number of years. It had been hoped that construction would start in 2007 and be completed by 2009. "At best we now have a delay of at least a year," said a disappointed Mr Munro. Plans to give motorists unimpeded access along the A31 at Hickley's Corner and significantly reduce traffic through Farnham town centre would, claimed Mr Munro, also save lives by making it safer for pedestrians. Mr Munro reacted angrily to the news which he received on Tuesday afternoon, in a letter sent to the chief executive of Surrey County Council, Paul Coen. The letter, from the area director of GOSE, Andrew Roberts, said: "We recognise that this scheme would help to relieve a significant congestion point on the A31 at Farnham. "While recognising these benefits, ministers have decided that the scheme doesn't present a sufficient priority for approval at this stage." However, the letter goes on to praise SCC for the way it submitted its proposals for the county and says as a transport authority, it was judged above average. "The news hasn't sunk in yet, but we will not be taking it laying down and urgently need to speak to government officials. "I can't really speculate why they turned it down. Cynically, I could say it is because of the election next year, but there are always more projects than money available," continued Mr Munro. Mrs Marie King-Hele, who has been fighting for more than 20 years for the underpass at Hickley's Corner, was equally disappointed at the snub from GOSE. "It is a scheme that Farnham has been waiting for for a very long time. It has been very well supported and very much needed, not specifically just for traffic, but for the safety of pedestrians and cyclists," she said. And she agreed with Mr Munro that there could be a political reason why Hickley's Corner didn't get the green light for its proposed underpass, as well as the reduction in funding for the South East. "There is a wish to to encourage a large number of houses in the South East and the government is almost saying that if you won't have these houses, you won't have the road. "But it is the other way round, if you are going to have extra houses, you need the infrastructure," maintained Mrs King-Hele. "It's not a question of more or less houses, we desperately need this to enable the Wrecclesham bypass to go ahead, for Farnham to become more pedestrian friendly and to improve the environment. "It is why so many people have backed the scheme." And she continued: "Although SCC is better off in terms of percentage of the funding, it is only slightly better off and it means that SCC has got a real setback to its roads programme." But she said: "It is very disappointing that the scheme was not approved in the current round of local transport bidding. I will be urging SCC to prioritise it as part of the next round. It has been given an 'amber light' and the delay is obviously due to reduced funding for the South East." A county council spokesman said the council would have to consider very carefully whether to resubmit the scheme to government in the future. The crossroads has a chilling record of fatalities and injuries caused through road accidents. The most recent of several fatalities was in December 2002, when a 22-year-old Turkish au pair lost her life when she was knocked down as she crossed the bypass at Hickley's Corner. A total of 18 people were injured at the crossroads in the previous three years. • The A3 Hindhead Tunnel scheme is also facing a setback, likely to put back the start date for the tunnel, originally planned for next year, to 2008/9. GOSE has also delayed a decision over SCC's half a million pound bid for traffic calming works around the area of the tunnel scheme until after the outcome of the public inquiry is known.
