COUNCIL chiefs are expected to sign off almost £100,000 towards developing a ‘masterplan’ for Farnham next week – setting out a Whitehill & Bordon-style 25-year vision for the future of the town.

Waverley Borough Council’s decision-making executive will be asked to agree a new place-shaping reserve at its meeting on Tuesday.

This reserve will be worth a total £250,000, using the one-off financial gain from the council’s participation in the 2018/19 business rate pilot.

The windfall will, says the council, be used to fund “exciting community-led projects” starting with a Farnham masterplan – “looking at the town in a more joined-up way”, ensuring sites such as Brightwells and the Woolmead “work together sympathetically, with each other and the wider town”.

A masterplan is a document that sets out a vision for a defined place over the long term. It is used to inform planning decisions, attract investment and influence a settlement’s future. Local examples can be seen at Whitehill & Bordon, Guildford, Aldershot and the work underway in Leatherhead.

Speaking ahead of next week’s meeting, Julia Potts, Waverley leader and councillor for Upper Hale, said: “If approved, this new approach will help us to build community cohesion and create a strong local identity.

“Engaging with our local communities will be at the forefront of how we will take projects forward, making sure we listen to the voices of the active and articulate, as well as the vulnerable or rarely heard.”

A ‘masterplan’ was promoted as a solution to Farnham’s traffic and air pollution woes by Rowledge architect Mark Westcott and Farnham engineer John Neale in May last year – and the pair subsequently met with Waverley chief executive Tom Horwood, who they claim was “fully supportive”.

In his previous role with East Hampshire District Council, Mr Horwood was instrumental in establishing RegenCo, the council’s in-house regeneration department, created as a consequence of the successful regeneration of Whitehill & Bordon.

RegenCo now offers its services to councils and government departments across England, and was recently brought in by Waverley to facilitate an initial scoping workshop for its ‘Place-Shaping Waverley’ initiative.

This workshop is believed to have focused on Farnham, the borough’s largest town, and was attended by officers of Farnham, Waverley and Surrey councils, who have all indicated their support for the proposed masterplan.

If agreed by executive members next week, RegenCo will be awarded £98,000 to undertake the next phase of the works – including a transport study “of the issues and opportunities of Farnham town centre, and the wider area, including opportunities for improving air quality”.

RegenCo will also be tasked with producing a report describing how a future masterplan will complement and support the borough’s Local Plan and Farnham Neighbourhood Plan, as well as consulting service providers, stakeholders and the public, gaining the support of Farnham, Waverley and Surrey councils and the Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership, and identifying “early-win” projects.

Praising the concept, Carole Cockburn, leader of Farnham Town Council, said: “The council is fully supportive of this project and is committed to working in partnership with both Surrey and Waverley to make it a success. The council believes that this is an exciting opportunity, which will ensure a great future for the town.”

South West Surrey MP Jeremy Hunt, who launched his own ‘Transforming Farnham’ strategy last May, added: “This is truly great news for Farnham, residents and visitors alike. I have been working hard behind the scenes with a lot of individuals and groups and it is now all coming together as part of Waverley’s bigger master plan. Big thanks to all those who have helped us get to this stage.

“There’s a way to go, of course, but this is a significant step in the town’s regeneration.”