THE community-run Frensham Village Shop has overcome a major hurdle to its future existence - the granting of planning consent to occupy a portable building in the car park of Hollowdene Recreation Ground for up to five years. This weekend the village will host a scarecrow festival - a major fundraiser for the eventual relocation of the shop and post office to permanent purpose-built premises on the recreation ground. But last week all eyes were on Waverley Council's development management committee. For Frensham Parish Council's application for the temporary building on their land had proved controversial, attracting 16 letters of objection. And a refusal of planning consent could have derailed all future plans. Chairman of the shop management committee John Heap explained: "Frensham Village Shop has been blessed for the whole of the 11+ years since it was established, with landlords who have been extremely generous, helpful and sympathetic. "This has been evident both in running the existing business, as well as in our search for new premises. "However, the time has arrived when our landlords feel they must move on for family and personal reasons, which we fully understand. This in turn meant that the village shop must find a new home before the end of this year." The permanent replacement will be part of the community building to be built at Hollowdene by the parish council. But with funding not yet fully secured, it is estimated it will be three to five years before it is constructed. The committee was addressed by Pete Shipway, a member of Frensham Cricket Club and the Royal British Legion, who read a statement of objection from the chairman of the British Legion bowls club, Robin Dibdin. Mr Dibdin cited concerns about poor access to the site and claimed a much more suitable site was owned by the parish council. He also drew attention to alternative post offices operating in the Bourne and at Rowledge. "We are also concerned that 'temporary' means five years. That is too long," he wrote. "The appearance of the cabin is totally out of keeping with the surroundings and will overpower a unique setting." Mr Dibdin believed that the commandeering of car parking spaces would be to the detriment of the village's sports clubs, as the car park was already busy seven days a week, with the overspill reducing the road to single track. "Whatever the outcome, the objectors will continue to support the shop and raise funds funds for it in whatever form," he nevertheless added. Paddy Haines, treasurer of the shop committee, maintained that the reduction in parking spaces would only be a problem at weekends in the summer months. The shop committee had been looking for an alternative site since 1999 without success, he explained, going on detail the ways in which the village's residents and business community would be affected by the loss of post office facilities. Jobs would be lost, he said, and "Fourteen thousand residents of Frensham and Dockenfield will lose their only post office for ever. In the present climate, reopening a post office is unlikely to succeed." Planning officers had recommended: "While the temporary nature and visual appearance of a portacabin in the Green Belt and Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty would not normally be acceptable, the need for a local shop for rural economy reasons is considered to outweigh the visual harm." Councillors took the same view. "It is a question of priorities," said Victor Scrivens. "What is even more out of place is not having a village shop or post office. I would feel very uncomfortable is we were part of losing that village shop. Peter Martin described it as "a no-brainer" and said the key word was "temporary". Borough councillor for Frensham Pam Hibbert stressed that the shop was vital to the community, especially the elderly, who do not have the facility of getting into a car. "I know there are concerns within the village about the car parking aspect of it. I would hope that the parish council will be able to deal with those itself," she commented. • The scarecrow festival, which will raise funds towards fitting out the permanent shop, takes place this weekend, on Saturday, Sunday and bank holiday Monday from 11 am to 5 pm daily. Fifty-four full-size scarecrows based on story characters will be set out on Shortfield Common Road and the common itself, with quiz sheets on sale for the competition to "identify the scarecrow".
