A PROPERTY owner has put forward a new proposal to pedestrianise the town centre, and hopes business owners and retailers will back his ideas.

Matthew Elliott, director of FBU Properties, owns a building on The Borough which houses four small, independent retailers.

He spoke of his upset after speaking to a retailer, who told him of the collapse in revenue – having fallen by around 85 per cent – and recording weekly sales of £146, down from £1,000 pre Covid-19.

He said: “Refusal to remove the cars may now kill our town centre more quickly than people realise.

“Surrey’s introduction of ugly fencing, cones, sandbags and alarmist signage is a considerable deterrent to shoppers and visitors. There is no point in keeping people safe if no-one is there.”

He added: “Farnham town centre is a hostile environment for pedestrians – those walking or pushing their baby along – and those terribly narrow pavements outside The Borough, two lines of traffic and three lines further down, it is just a hard place to be.”

In his proposal, Matthew suggests the “temporary solution” is to close The Borough and the top end of Downing Street to traffic between 8.30am and 6.30pm.

He said: “Allow shops and cafés to use the area, create a market atmosphere and bring vitality back to our town.

“People just sit back hoping that something is going to happen from Surrey, but it never does – we need to apply the pressure.”

Matthew hopes that his proposals could help Farnham adapt into a “social, community hub”, asking for any retailers or tenants to get in touch, with hopes of potentially launching an action group.

Commenting, South West Surrey MP Jeremy Hunt said: “The temporary cones are a terrible eyesore and I have been banging on at Surrey to get them removed as quickly as possible.

“I hope the Farnham Project Board on which I sit will consider suggestions such as this carefully as we need to do everything possible to support local businesses.”

A Surrey County Council spokesperson added: “We are sorry to hear of the difficulties these businesses are facing and sympathise with their situation.

“Regarding the alternative proposals offered by the resident, any road closures would need to be carefully considered alongside other measures as closing roads could add to congestion issues elsewhere.

“The Farnham Infrastructure Programme was set up to work with local people, businesses and groups to identify and find solutions to issues exactly like this, and we urge any residents with concerns to get in touch.”