Sir Nicholas Pevsner, when he was compiling his great book 'The Buildings
of England', visited Woldingham and came to this conclusion: "This tiny
downland hamlet has gradually become a very leafy suburb. The Parish is full of
steep-sided valleys and the houses are hidden away in these, usually drowned in
trees - an object lesson to the brutally expanded Warlingham next door" The
"brutal expansion" might easily have spilled over into our leafy valleys
had it not been for Green Belt legislation and a number of far-sighted residents
who formed the Woldingham Association over 100 years ago. The village is
fortunate that it now has two influential voices through the long standing Woldingham
Association and the relatively recent Parish Council. However, while both work
for the community, there are important differences. The Parish Council is an important
branch of elected local government with officers serving on rotation; by contrast
the Woldingham Association has been administering the Gilford Covenants for over
100 years and necessarily takes a long-term view. We will continue to make representations
concerning planning matters and will liaise with and assist external bodies such
as the Woodland Trust, the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England and the
National Trust. President:The Lord Christopher Honorary
Vice-President: Richard Butcher The Knoll, Park View Road, CR3 7DN
Tel: 652275 Chairman/Treasurer:Geoffrey King The Hermitage,
Park View Road, CR3 7DJ Tel: 652615 Council members: Martin
Barnett, Rita Berry, Sue Edwards, Jane Hansen, Bernard Hastings, Bobby Johnson,
Jane Torrance If you would like to assist with the work of the Association
and/or have any particular talents to put at the service of Woldingham (organisational,
legal, financial, secretarial, leaflet distribution
.etc.) please contact
any member of the Council or fill in your details on the application form which
can be found on the Membership page. |