A WARNING has come that Grayshott could be reduced to "traffic mayhem" unless the village starts planning for its future. East Hampshire district councillor Ferris Cowper believes that "a number of threats are already beginning to bite in Grayshott". Speaking of his disappointment over the lack of interest in forming a new community partnership group in the village, Mr Cowper is fearful of the village "losing its charms and distinctiveness" mainly because of its growing traffic problems. In his latest newsletter, posted on the Grayshott village website, Mr Cowper says: "I fear that without better co-operation, better and longer term planning and more effective fund raising, the village will not retain its charm and distinctiveness. "This idea was my attempt to start work on all of these aims because I love Grayshott. "As far as is reasonable, I want to protect it from the forces that have ruined so many other villages in Hampshire." But he says while he has gained much support from local people, other major agencies in the village have come out against it. Among those attending a recnt meeting were chairmen from a number of village organisations. These included Grayshott Parish Council, Clive Slaughter; Buy in Grayshott, BIG, Dick Smith and Party in Grayshott, PIG, Peter Hatch. There were also representatives from the village design statement team and Phil Bates from Grayshott Pottery. "I failed to convince a couple of important delegates and so the idea is dead," declared Mr Cowper. "I am very upset that the idea did not get the support I thought it deserved," he said. He claims that with no new car parks in the village for years, most were now full, street parking was becoming a problem and 4 x 4s not seen before, but now common on the village's narrow roads, were all leading to the attractive village being under threat. "Every space in the car parks is filled on Wednesdays and Fridays, there are vehicles all over the roads and parked on pinch points," he claimed. He said Tesco Express supermarket were destroying the village, blocking in parked vehicles and damaging the village scene of 20 to 30 years ago. He added: "I'd like to see all the relevant agencies in the village, the police, parish council, BIG, and the village design statement team coming up with a proper vision of how we want Grayshott to be, a parking vision of how it ought to work and actions needed." And he further warns that the situation is now urgent. "It takes a long time to turn all the wheels and it we don't start now we will be too late." Mr Cowper is also critical of the private ownership of the square. "It is a wasted village resource, and it is clearly the future of the village to get it into public ownership. "It could be made into a really beautiful feature of the village instead of which it is a boring as you can imagine." Mr Cowper said Grayhott won the Hampshire Village of the Year Award 2002 because of the number of volunteers. "Those who did not support my idea a few weeks ago felt that the network we had then and have today, is sufficient. "It is not. "These networks and the way they are organised, planned and funded, must evolve rapidly; at least as rapidly as the threats to our way of life are developing." "I will carry on doing my best for the village but, without a more focussed approach by the whole community, I think that, slowly but surely, more and more issues will end up being unresolved due to lack of money, lack of planning or lack of vision," he concluded. The chairman of BIG Dick Smith said he was not against Mr Cowper's idea. "But I am not keen to get involved with much more in the village. "There is obviously a lot of merit in what he is trying to achieve but it needs some new blood to achieve his aims." Clive Slaughter, chairman of Grayshott Parish Council said the proposed scheme was put before the whole of the parish council. However Mr Slaughter said: "It was decided unanimously that the parish council would not support yet another talking shop. "We do have very good relationships with all the groups in the village and members of the public, and feel that there was no need for yet more meetings."