IT finally looks as if the talking may soon be over – and the action will begin...

Politicians, pressure groups, councils and residents are now all likely to get a say in shaping Farnham for the next generation.

Regeneration experts Regenco, funded by Surrey County Council, Waverley Borough Council and Farnham Town Council, will now start piecing together potential projects for the much-vaunted masterplan.

While local elections will keep the politicians busy for the next few weeks, the Regenco officers can carry on with their work, liaising with ‘interested parties’.

The expectation is they will produce a report in September for the three local authorities to discuss.

And once everyone is in agreement what projects need to be chased first, the job of finding the funds will begin.

Waverley Borough Council chief executive Tom Horwood said: “Everyone in Farnham has their own shopping list.

“What we need to do is to put together a single shopping list that has the support of the of the local councils in particular. That’s what funders will look for.

“It could be quite large sums but it depends on the particular scheme and what order the study says we can do it in.

“That’s part of this work.”

And South West Surrey MP Jeremy Hunt also has a key role to play, to unlock potential funding.

Waverley council leader Julie Potts, who is also a Farnham town councillor, said: “It’s really important to have our local MP on board – we need his support as things move forward and we start to make bids.

“When we go for funding, they will look to ensure we have support for our schemes not just from the bottom up, but from the top down – and that includes the MP.

“He can help us not just with funding, but with getting people around a table.

“It’s also about the network, who you know and who you can talk to and bring in and get involved.

“Jeremy brings an awful lot to the table.

“The master planning is something the three councils are commissioning – and we’ve made very clear our aspiration to really start to focus on shaping things – but Jeremy has been working with some core groups behind the scenes already for the past couple of years, and looking at what could be done to make Farnham a better place.

“An awful lot of work has been done already – he’s really worked hard, along with various groups who have had their input.

“That work is not lost – it’s a complementary part to this wider master planning scheme.

“I know some will say there’s a dream for pedestrianisation in Farnham – there was a referendum and the majority of people voted in favour – but there were also parts of the town where people have concerns about the potential impact of it.

“So that’s something the master plan needs to look at to see if it would really work or whether there is a better way.

“We don’t want to close down any avenue – we’ve got to keep a very open mind on this.

“They’re the experts – I’m not a master planner. I’m not a transport expert either. We’ve got to make sure we give them the space to actually do the job we’re engaging them and paying for them to do.

“I am pretty sure when it comes back in September we will have various schemes to look at, and hopefully some quick wins.

“I would deem a quick win being something we can start to implement within a year, or two years maximum.

“By 2021 Brightwells and Woolmead will be just getting off the ground and coming to fruition.

“We need to make sure the longer-term wins are mindful of that and complement it.

“There is a real will to make things happen and really get behind something.

“I was very encouraged in our masterplan meeting a fortnight ago because we were getting positive feedback from everybody.”