CREATIVE juices were flowing at the Maltings as around 700 people of all ages flocked to community brainstorming workshop ‘Recrafting Farnham’ to have their say on the future of the town.

The event was organised by a group of local architectural practices under the umbrella of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and challenged people to write, draw and talk about their ideas for the future of Farnham.

Solutions to Farnham’s persistent traffic problems were at the forefront of people’s minds, with schemes to remove cars from the town centre, pedestrianisation, shared space and a western bypass all mooted.

Others suggested transforming Central car park into a public open space and widening the town’s footpaths, while many called for bespoke culture, craft and theatre spaces as well as the retention of Farnham’s ‘green lungs’.

Wackier ideas ranged from building a Millennium Falcon and Death Star, as proposed by pupils at St Polycarp’s School, while a six-year-old boy and his friends wanted a large statue of a dog built somewhere in the town.

The architects will now begin the long process of pooling together everyone’s thoughts before re-presenting them at a further community event in the Maltings on Monday, April 18.

“It was fantastic,” said Laith Anayi, chairman of RIBA South East and an architect at Stedman Blower in Farnham. “We had a diversity of views and ages that seemed to range from six up to 96 years old.

“A lot of themes came firing back at us and we are looking as the collective as to how we present this information. Is it a series of master plans? Do we propose something like a scheme or two? Do we look at the macro and micro?

“We have not been prescriptive as to the outcome and it is a wonderful time where everything seems possible.”

Laith added the Recrafting Farnham team are looking at involving more disciplines to delve deeper into what was uncovered on Sunday and is now meeting regularly to make sure no momentum or direction is lost.

He continued: “This is not a vanity project of a single architectural practice, it is a collective bringing different perspectives which allow us not to have any agenda other than the betterment of Farnham. 

“It is not self serving - it is an educational project to enlighten people to demand more. To challenge people to investigate and interrogate the essence of Farnham and demand the same of the projects presented to them - to demand truly considered schemes and accept nothing less.

“People want space and light and green spaces. The forms, massing, the space between things and proportion are more important than wallpapering of ornament and style in evoking Farnham. 

“I was surprised how many people wanted modern homes with large airy, light rooms for instance.

“It was clear that the intellectual discussions we had on Saturday show the people of Farnham are very considerate and well educated. We met so many articulate and engaged people and we felt so encouraged by the positivity.”

Mr Anayi also thanked Waverley Borough Council and Farnham Town Council for their support of the event, adding his wish that Recrafting Farnham can contribute to making the Local and Neighbourhood plans successful and robust.

“The conversations will not end here and we have to use the positivity to make Farnham better by encouraging it to flourish as it grows,” he said.

“Where we take it is ultimately up to the community of Farnham. The brief is set by them and Recrafting Farnham is theirs after all.”

Once the Recrafting Farnham team has processed the data from Sunday’s event, it will be looking to open the discussion on social media with an expanded presence online at www.facebook.com/recraftingfarnham.