The
WOLDINGHAM ACTION GROUP
(WAG)
Latest Updates
The
Woldingham Action Group has been formed to ensure the environment of Woldingham
and its immediate surroundings are protected through any potential changes to
access routes to Chalkpit Quarry.
(Please note: This web page contains a number of links to word documents. When you click on any of these links the document should open in a new window. If you are using Safari or some other internet browsers the document may be saved straight to your desktop instead.)
3 December 2008 - Update
As we approach the first anniversary of the Woldingham Action Group we thought it appropriate to give you an update on the future of the action group.
As you are probably aware the decision taken at the last meeting of the Tandridge and Surrey Local committee made it very unlikely that a one-way system or a haul road, onto The Ridge, will be built. Both were dismissed in favour of alternative measures in and around Chalkpit Lane and Barrow Green Road. The funding to carry out the work is yet to be found.
After consideration WAG has decided not to disband for at least another year, as there is a possibility that the quarry owner may make a planning application of some type. This may be for a haul road or to change the type and amount of waste that can legally be dumped; we do think this unlikely.
Remaining intact will allow us to respond quickly if necessary. We would like to thank you again for your continuing support and hope you enjoy the season's festivities.
Keith Newell and Bobby Johnson
Woldingham Action
Group
5th September 2008 - Update
As they say "A month is a long time in politics" and the last month has been eventful. Since the last update WAG discovered that the Tandridge District Council (TDC) and Surrey County Council (SCC) joint local committee had commissioned an independent report. The consultants were asked to make recommendations to alleviate problems with HGV traffic in and around Oxted but particularly on Chalkpit Lane.
The report was made available on the 26th August and was discussed at the meeting held on the 5th September. The report ran to 70 pages and considered 18 specific options. The report's author shared the view of the Surrey Highways report that a one-way system up to the Ridge was a non-starter and for similar reasons so was the haul road. This does not stop the quarry operator originating an independent planning application for a haul road.
The report made the following recommendations:
-
Widen Existing Quarry Entrance
- Traffic calming on residential section of
Chalkpit Lane between quarry and Gordon's Way
- Signal Control on the Chalkpit
Lane Railway Bridge
- Improve western section of Barrow Green Road to provide
designated 2-way route for HGVs to A25
- Widen Chalkpit Lane to the South of
the Quarry
- Monitor the situation and consider further measures
The committee discussed the report and accepted its recommendations by a majority of (9-2); this was after attempts by two Oxted councillors to delay acceptance of the proposals. It is estimated that the work will cost in the region of £1Million and as funds are not available a phased approach will be adopted. The decision prompted emotional responses from some members of the public and we believe there will be opposition to the proposals at the consultation phase.
Thank you
all once again for your continuing support.
31st July 2008 - Update
Once again apologise for the delay in this update. I last reported on the extraordinary meeting of the local committee held on the 7th May 2008. Since then a full local committee meeting was held on the 20th June at which £10,000 per annum was allocated for the next three years. The money in the first year will finance a study concerning HGV traffic in Oxted and subsequent funding will be for recommended safety measures.
At the same meeting Charlotte Heymer, a Limpsfield Parish Councillor, asked a two part question
First, about the 100,000-ton annual limit and control over daily movements. The chairman replied by repeating information apparently given at the 7 May meeting, that the reports to the Environment Agency had shown 81,000 tons between 1 April 2007 and 31 March 2008, 86% coming from New Addington
Secondly, would alternatives to the one-way scheme on Chalk Pit Lane, including confining the HGV traffic from Chalk Pit to Barrow Green Road, and improvements to that road such as better passing places, be considered before any decision? Derek Poole SCC (Surrey County Council) gave an assurance that they would.
The Chairman expressed his apologies to Keith Newell for the lack of the promised answer to the WAG petition, since the eventual answer would depend on the resource allocation decisions to be taken later in the meeting.
Subsequent to the meeting WAG have received and are studying a response to one of the questions asked at the 7th May Meeting regarding SCC's lack of consideration regarding lorry movements raised in correspondence with TDC (Tandridge District Council).
WAG members have lobbied 10 surrounding Parish Councils and Limpsfield, Tatsfield, Titsey and Westerham had written to the Local Committee Chair before the last meeting expressing serious concern regarding re-routing of HGVs. WAG has invested some of the money raised in briefing "Bond Pearce" who may now act immediately on our behalf if necessary. Subsequent to election to the Parish Council Alistair Pirie has joined the WAG committee. Colin Packington will continue to support the committee.
The next meeting at which these issues will be discussed
will be at the Local Committee Meeting to be held on the Friday 5th September
at the Oxted Community Centre starting at 10.15. WAG is considering what action
is appropriate so please put the date in your diary, as we may need your support.
10th May 2008 - Update
As many of you will know the extraordinary meeting of the Tandridge/Surrey council's local committee turned out to be just that!
Before the detail a big thank you to all those who turned out to support WAG at Oxted School for the presentation of the petition.
The Surrey Highway's Report on the feasibility of a one-way system Northbound on Chalkpit lane was made available to the public on the 2nd May and formed the sole item on the agenda of the above meeting.
This ruling was relaxed to allow WAG 3 minutes to present the petition.
The report runs to 17 pages but in essence the Highways department does not recommend the one-way system. Instead it calls for
" Encouragement of the planning application for a haul road
" Amelioration of HGV traffic in Oxted by alternative means.
It also calls for further investigation and points out that funds will have to be made available for this work.
The Chair announced that several members of the committee had been substituted strangely enough by people sympathetic to those in the Oxted area. He also announced that he had received an amendment to the report from Gordon Keymer.
The amendment was to the effect that the committee don't accept the findings of Surrey Highways with respect to a one-way system and have now asked them to proceed with a feasibility study, to include costings and to be ready for the Local Committee meeting in June. The vote was in favour of the amendment by 11-2! Councillor Sally Marks and Marian Myland spoke against the amendment.
The meeting then considered the second recommendation regarding the haul road. This time an isolated Sally Marks took the meeting through the relevant areas of the report but failed to dissuade her colleagues from supporting the recommendation, it was accepted by a vote of 7-2.
The closing comments by Nick Skellet may prove prophetic in that he considers those around the table are too emotionally involved in the issue to make an objective judgement and the way forward would be a public enquiry? That's what WAG thought!
WAG will be meeting shortly to consider our next
steps. Thank you for your support.
28 April 2008 - Update
As we reported in the last update WAG will be allowed to present the petition at the extraordinary meeting on the 7th May but please note that the time and the venue have been changed!!! The meeting will now be held at Oxted school and will start at 19.00. The larger venue is obviously to accommodate the 1250 people who have signed the petition so please don't let us down. Please also note that this supersedes the announcement in the neighbourhood watch email of the 26th April.
The petition will be presented in the meeting but we will also be presenting it to Sally Marks and a suitable officer from the Joint Local Committee, for publicity purposes, outside Oxted School at approximately 18.40. Please be there!
Despite the rumours and comments in the press we still await the planning application for the haul-road. WAG has also instructed Bond Pearce to act for us in this matter.
Finally a big thank you to those
who gathered the signatures and also those who signed our petition.
16 April 2008 - Update
There have been two important developments since the last update. The first is that due to successful lobbying by Sally Marks we are now permitted to deliver the WAG petition at the extraordinary meeting to be held on the evening of the 7th May at Tandridge Council Offices.
This is good news as we now get a chance to put our side of the story. Please put the date in your diary, as we will need to ensure a good turn out! Also if you have not already done so please sign the petition, there is one in the village shop on the Post Office counter.
The second development is that in addition to the
proposal to make Chalkpit Lane one-way articles have appeared in the local press
indicating that a planning application for a two-way haul road is
imminent. I don't need to explain the catastrophic affect that that would have
on local roads. We are prepared to oppose this application.
WAG members
have attended local parish council meetings, to make them aware of the threat
and in general have received enthusiastic support.
In addition WAG members and members of the Woldingham Association are hard at work gathering signatures for the petition. We have a target of 1000 signatures, half of which will come from communities outside Woldingham.
Thank you for your continuing support!
29 March 2008 - Update
We would like to start with an apology for the delay in providing this update.
As you are probably aware, a petition with the names of 300 Oxted residents was presented at the quarterly Tandridge and Surrey councils local committee meeting held in Oxted on the 7th March. The petition demanded that with immediate effect Chalkpit Lane above the first quarry entrance to the Ridge be made one-way. Keith Newell and Colin Packington asked questions relating to the quarry at the meeting and await replies from Surrey County Council.
The chairman has asked Surrey Highways to report on the one-way proposal at an extraordinary meeting of the committee on the evening of the 7th May. At this meeting the councillors will discuss the report and make a recommendation. No other business will be conducted at the meeting and members of the public will not be allowed to take part although they may attend. The report will be posted on the Surrey website 7 days before the meeting.
Recommendations from the meeting will still be subject to the full planning process. WAG has decided to compile and present our own petition in conjunction with the 10 other villages that will be directly affected by the increase in HGVs and we have had discussions with Safety, Traffic & Highways Engineering Consultants.
Please
remember to sign the petition in the Village Shop
8 February 2008 - Update
We still await the planning application for the haul road onto the Ridge and in anticipation our consultants have been fully briefed.
Investigation into the process for agreeing the planning conditions and granting of the permit for Oxted Quarry in Chalkpit Lane are in hand based on information obtained under the freedom of information act.
A dialogue has been opened with three of the neighbouring parish councils in response to letters sent by Woldingham PC.
WAG would like to thank all those who have responded so swiftly with a
contribution.
16 January 2008 - Update
A formal planning application for the new road from Oxted Quarry in Chalkpit Lane to the Ridge has not yet been received. We have however instructed the environmental consultants to start work in anticipation and as a result we are now calling-in the pledges made at the public meeting on the 15th December.
If you made a pledge, and have not yet responded, would you please print-off the Pledge for Funding Payment form, complete it and post as instructed.
If you did not attend the meeting and have received a letter requesting support then respond as instructed on that letter. If you would like to support us and did not receive a letter please print-off the Request for Funding form and post as instructed. Once again thank you for your support.
7 January 2008 - New Year Update
A Happy New Year to you all and thanks for the outstanding support both at the public meeting and in terms of pledges which now stand in excess of £6000.
Writing on the 7 January 2008 Surrey County Council had not received an application for the proposed haul road to the Ridge. The WAG has met with a firm of consultants who specialise in environmental issues surrounding planning applications from the minerals industry. They will be working with us to formulate our case.
The WAG has produced a draft letter, which when approved by the Woldingham Parish Council, will be sent to all affected Parish Councils, including Oxted, this week. The Parish Council has also invited the Quarry Operator to present his plans to the residents of Woldingham at a suitable meeting, possibly the next PC meeting. Dialogues have been opened with Tandridge District Council, Surrey County Council and the Department of the Environment to better understand the process that produced the planning conditions for the quarry in 1997 and subsequent issuing of the permit. However our main focus remains the planning application.
The committee comprises Geoffrey King, Bobby Johnson (WPC), Keith Newell (WA), and Colin Packington (WPC). A preparatory meeting was held on 5th December.
15 December 2007 - Public Meeting
An initial public meeting was held at the Village Hall at 11am on Saturday 15 December. It was attended by over 200 residents. Click here for details of what happened at the meeting. There was very strong support for the Action Group and most residents present completed a form to pledge their financial support. Should you wish to pledge support please complete a Pledge Form and return it to one of the committee members.
The committee will keep you up to date through a combination of the Woldingham Association and Woldingham Parish Council Notice Boards, this website, and email if you supplied with your pledge form.
Map of the Affected Roads and Villages
To
see photographs click on the Chalkpit Lane Quarry, The Ridge and village names
in bold:
