Sir, – Once again Waverley is about to stitch up the citizens of Farnham through some typically sly and cynical manoeuvring. Not content with turning the place into a mini-Basingstoke for the financial benefit of the towns to the east of the A3, it now intends to saddle us with 1,300 new houses anywhere within five kilometres of Farnham Park. The instrument for doing so is the redesignation of the Park as some sort of "leisure amenity".
The story begins when some EU environmental agency or other did Farnham a favour by declaring the undeveloped area the the north of Farnham Park to be a site of special scientific interest (SSSI). It is the habitat for some rare wild life particularly ground nesting birds. Farnham Park is itself a habitat for some odd nocturnal species but that's another tale. SSSI status means that the human population must be controlled in its vicinity to prevent predation by dogs, cats, snakes and other pets.
Waverley is always happy to build in Farnham regarding it as its cash cow for rents and rates. This is for the benefit of towns like Cranleigh and Godalming that can remain relatively untouched. Consequently, Waverley wants to declare Farnham Park as a SANG (Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace... or pet toilet) reasoning that the extra dogs and cats that will come with these extra houses will be walked in the attractively remodelled Farnham Park "leisure amenity" rather than in the SSSI on their doorstep. This way the wild life in the SSSI will be preserved. The argument is absurd – who puts a leash on a cat or can tell it where to roam? Will people actually drive from new estates, say in Frensham, to a park to walk their dog? But then this comes from the same council that maintains that putting a major shopping mall in the centre of Farnham will not increase traffic there. Like the White Queen in Alice, Waverley planners and councillors exert themselves in asserting six impossible things before breakfast.
Redesignation means that up to 1,300 extra homes could be built in Farnham. There is no infrastructure for these homes. We have already have problems with school places, water services are tight and the place is congested. Farnham Park is a green and calm space and we are fortunate to have it so close to the town centre. It is a natural place not a municipal park. Of course as such it does not fit the clone town blue-print that planners at Waverley want to impose. To my memory, amphitheatres, relief roads, grazing, not grazing, sports tracks and mediaeval deer haunts have been proposed for Farnham Park, it seems that every few years, the people of Farnham have to preserve it from predation by Waverley.
Waverley is about to offer a consultation on this redesignation. Farnham has bitter experience of Waverley and its consultations. Reluctantly therefore I urge all of you who fought so doughtily against East Street to participate in the forthcoming consultation even though the scheme is likely to be railroaded through. At the end of the consultation, Waverley will tell you that maybe you are not very interested but the cats overwhelmingly in favour.
So it's no to cleaner air, yes to more people and cars, tough luck for the nightjar. It's rumoured that Farnham has some councillors that sit in on Waverley's secret planning cabals. But I can't help thinking that the present lot is rather keener on the interests of their party than on representing Farnham.
N J Slim, Shrubbs Lane, Rowledge