AN offshoot of the unelected South East England Regional Assembly seems poised to deliver a setback of at least five years to the long-awaited Hickley's Corner underpass scheme. The £40 million Surrey County Council project for the notorious blackspot, where several fatalities have occurred, suffered a serious blow last December, when the Government Office for the South East withheld the cash necessary for a start in 2007, delaying the scheme by at least a year. And now, at a meeting of the Regional Transportation Board due to take place today (Friday), it is being recommended that Hickley's Corner is placed in category four, in effect meaning it will not be started until at least 2011, and most probably not even then. Pat Frost and David Munro, who represent Farnham on the county council, expressed their outrage this week and wrote to council leader Nick Skellet, who is newly appointed to the board, asking him to make forceful representations on the issue. Pat Frost told The Herald: "This is highly disappointing. With no explanation at all, Hickley's Corner is deemed 'low' on 'policy compatibility', despite being supported strongly by most Farnham residents on grounds of easing congestion, freeing up the town centre and safety." David Munro said: "The potential outcome is bad enough, with Farnham yet again being ordered to the back of the queue. But the process, by which an unelected body makes fundamental decisions affecting the lives of thousands of residents, is an outrage." The councillors' letter to Nick Skellet stresses the profound knock-on effect of delaying Hickley's Corner on other crucially needed projects, notably a Wrecclesham relief road and major improvements as a consequence of the East Street development. "These schemes are not even categorised yet - if Hickley's Corner will be delayed at least six years, when on earth will the others get done?" they asked. "Responding to recently expressed representations from residents, our MP and ourselves, Surrey's transportation service has agreed to review the need for the Wrecclesham relief road (in conjunction with Hampshire County Council) and this is much welcomed. "But this work will be wasted if the Regional Transportation Board has no room in the programme for it." The scheme has apparently been given a 'high" rating in terms of value for money and "medium" for deliverability. But its low scoring for policy compatibility is regarded by Mrs Frost and Mr Munro as "bizarre". "We ask you to challenge this forcefully," they told Mr Skellet, claiming the scheme is totally compatible with the county's five main objectives dealing with such issues as tackling congestion, improving road safety and enhancing the environment. "Our reading of the officer's report is that the categorisation of the schemes that the board is being invited to accept is final - no public consultation, no possibility of a review, no input from any democratically elected body. "We find this an outrage," they asserted, claiming this made a mockery of Surrey's own Local Transport Plan process.