Sir, – I am concerned that the people of Farnham have been left without a voice within Waverley Borough Council. We go through the democratic motions of filling in Waverley's questionnaires, attending the Farnham Town Mayor's meetings and jumping through the so-called democratic hoops set by Waverley. Why? The function of Waverley officials is to provide advice and to implement the policy set by councillors. They are supposed to represent the view of the local people who voted for them in the first place. Who is in control? Waverley officers often appear too intent on setting their own agenda and not listening to what the people of Farnham are saying. Why are we not hearing more from our local elected representatives? What do they think? Please can we hear their views in the local press? Local people want East Street redeveloped, but want it done properly and not with profit as the driving force. Farnham has special qualities that must be protected. As a local activist trying to preserve Farnham from exploitation by opportunistic development, which does not actually address the housing shortage, I am constantly depressed by the lack of support shown by certain local councillors. They constantly abstain from commenting on various development proposals and plead that they either live too close to the development or are inhibited by council protocol which limits the amount of involvement they can provide to local residents. Commenting on certain actions proposed by Waverley Borough Council will preclude these councillors from providing much-needed support to local residents. What is the point of having local councillors if they are either unwilling or unable to support the views of those who actually voted for them in the first place? I was at the recent Church House meeting and observed the unanimous show of hands from the residents of Farnham that confirmed the objection to the Crest Nicholson scheme and the separate show of hands to confirm that local people want a theatre building to be retained as part of the development. I do not think that the town clerk, Roland Potter, was listening to what was said. He appeared to miss the point completely and seemed to be turning a blind eye to what people actually think. He should visit the local schools and listen to the views of parents who struggle every day to get to school with their children through the congested road systems in and around Farnham. He should listen to the local shopkeepers, who are struggling now to keep their businesses going, due to the traffic congestion within the town. They are afraid that three years of disruption within East Street and the subsequent invasion of the larger chain stores will turn the rest of Farnham into a ghosttown. He should visit Farnborough and Aldershot to see the depressed state of the areas awaiting yet another redevelopment, which has long promised to bring regeneration. Aldershot has a Marks & Spencer, which is now an outlet store and the Debenhams in Farnborough has elected to stay as a small outlet. These stores have not proved to be the saviours of these towns as was hoped. This must not be allowed to happen here. What must we do? We must prevent Waverley Borough Council offering Farnham Park as mitigation for the Special Protection Area. This will allow development to proceed within the Farnham area. If this is agreed, it will open the floodgates for development within the area. Farnham cannot sustain too much development, the town traffic system will not cope. Prosperity within the town relies on the fact that Farnham has something different to offer. We have individual shops, we have a pleasant environment to sit and enjoy refreshments within the Lion and Lamb Yard or by the river at the Maltings. We have pubs that the young people like to frequent, which offer a change from the run-of-the-mill drinking establishments offered by towns like Guildford. We must urge our local representatives to represent the views of the people who voted for them in the first place and to fight for the next generation of Farnham people. Farnham is not a town full of old people trying to prevent progress. There are many young people who live in the town and around Farnham who use the town for their enjoyment and entertainment. They like the town for its pubs and the unique environment that it offers. The function of local officials is to implement the policy set by our councillors. Waverley officers seem to be in control. It is time that the elected officials justified the faith that voters placed in them in the first place and came out fighting for local people. If they don't, then they must be prepared to accept the consequences of their lack of action. Zofia Lovell, Abbots Ride, Farnham
